Type 1 Diabetes Research Paper

To maintain glucose levels within the body, the body has a natural negative feedback loop associated with the pancreas; specifically the Islets within the pancreas or the Islets of Langerhans. The islets contain several types of cells including alpha cells and beta cells which regulate the body’s blood glucose levels through the release of glucagon and insulin, respectively. In type I diabetes, the body is unable to produce insulin due to a lack of functional beta cells - the body assumes the beta cells are foreign invaders, so the immune system attacks and destroys the cells, requiring daily insulin monitoring for a healthy lifestyle [3].

Currently islet implantation is a process through which Islets from another donor pancreas are taken, purified and then implanted into a patient. There are two types of transplantation: allo-transplantation and auto-implantation. Allo-transplantation is the type of transplantation procedure that is taken for patients with type 1 diabetes whereas the auto-implantation is for patients who typically have a functional pancreas but for other reasons needed it to be removed [3]. Allo-transplantation is mainly used for patients with type 1 diabetes whose blood glucose levels are difficult to control and for those who have conditions such as hypoglycemia unawareness, “a dangerous condition in which a person with diabetes cannot feel the symptoms of hypoglycemia, or low blood glucose” [3]. The islets are obtained, purified and …show more content…
After enough time has been allotted for full functionality of islets, they begin to release insulin as the original beta cells of the body did previously