ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW YORK REGIONAL ISLET ISOLATION FA*

Columbia University Health Sciences, New York NY

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Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Replacement of non-functional islet tissue with viable pancreatic islets by transplantation has proven to be effective using the Edmonton Protocol. Given the large population and the dedication of academic centers in the New York Metropolitan area to treat diabetes, our region clearly needs an islet isolation center for the purposes of investigational and clinical transplantation. We propose the establishment of the New York Regional Islet Resource Center to centralize islet isolation, purification, and distribution in a region serving more than 25 million people. While several institutions in this region already have Program Projects in Diabetes (Columbia University College of Physician and Surgeons, Mt. Sinai Medical School, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and New York Weill-Cornell Medical Center), no programs other than Columbia/Weill-Cornell/New York-Presbyterian Hospital have developed expertise in human islet isolation. The IRC will support current and future protocols, taking advantage of clinical resources of the merged teaching hospital of New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) and the integration of the clinicians and scientists in the fields of surgery, pathology, medicine, and molecular biology. The Islet Resource Center, including a GMP grade Cell Therapy Facility, will address the issues and technical difficulties of isolating a sufficient islet mass, purifying and quantifying islets, developing improved markers of viability, function, quality control/assurance, banking and distribution according to proposed guidelines.