Evidence for a significant correlation of donor pancreas morphology and the yield of isolated purified human islets

In clinical islet transplantation to patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus , the number of isolated and purified islet has been identified as a key de terminant for functional success of the islet graft [1]. With improved isol ation methods based on the original procedure published by Ricordi et al. [ 2] yield and function of isolated islets were considerably enhanced. Howeve r, there is still a large variance in the number, purity, viability and sec retory capacity of islets isolated from brain-dead human donor pancreata, s ignificantly hampering utilization of human islet preparations derived from a single donor for one diabetic recipient. The reasons for the limited suc cess in islet isolation and purification have not been clarified in detail yet. Recent studies have indicated, that donor preconditions, and a number of technical factors during organ procurement and the islet isolation proce ss itself are critical to successful islet isolation [3, 4]. This study aim ed at identifying distinct morphological and histopathological characterist ics of the donor pancreas as determinants for the outcome of human islet is olation and purification.