PANCREATIC ISLET CELL FUNCTION AND GLUCOSE TOLERANCE FOLLOWING TRANSPLANT

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Pancreatectomy is one approach to treating the pain syndrome associated with chronic pancreatitis. This leads to severe diabetes because of loss of pancreatic endocrine function. Isolation of the pancreatic islets at the time of surgery and return of these insulin containing cells, islet autotransplantation, is an experimental means of mitigating the diabetes associated with pancreatectomy. Previous work has established that this approach can lead to good outcomes with prevention of diabetes but it is not clear how long islet function persists after autotransplant. This study is designed to evaluate patients before and serially after islet autotransplant to determine their ability to secrete insulin and control their blood glucose. Subjects have insulin secretion measured after an infusion of arginine and during an oral glucose tolerance test. These tests are repeated at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after surgery to determine the function of the islet grafts over time.