ENCAPSULATED ISLET-CELL THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF DIABETES - INTRAPERITONEAL INJECTION OF ISLETS

This report describes the results of the first known report of insulin independence following an intraperitoneal transplantation of encapsul ated islets in a Type I diabetic patient (P. Soon-Shiong, R. Heintz, N . Merideth, X. Yao Qiang, Z. Yao, T. Zheng, M. Murphy, M. Moloney, M. Schmehl, M. Harris, R. Mendez, R. Mendez and P. Sandford, Insulin inde pendence in a Type I diabetic patient after encapsulated islet transpl antation, Lancet 343 (1994) April 16). These findings are encouraging and raise the potential that microencapsulated cell therapy may prove to be a method whereby early-onset diabetes may be treated in the futu re, and the complications of this disease avoided.