Treating diabetes with islet transplantation: Lessons learnt from the Nordic network for clinical islet transplantation

Abstract In this chapter we will present the Nordic experiences with clinical islet transplantation after starting The Nordic Network for Clinical Islet Transplantation in 2000. In addition, we will also present a local multidisciplinary effort organized as a Center of Excellence in Type 1 Diabetes. Over time islet transplantation has shifted from having been clinical research to becoming an established clinical activity. In the Nordic countries it is now considered as innovative rather than an experimental therapy. Islet transplantation is underused, technically complex, highly specialized, and with a need for multidisciplinary expertise, which is why it for the foreseeable future will continue to be centralized to a few centers to ensure high quality and continued development. The aim of our different networks, both local and regional, is to offer the best treatment for those patients for whom conventional treatment is inadequate and take advantage of the expertise distributed in several different disciplines.