Transplante de ilhotas na prática clínica: estado atual e perspectivas Islet transplantation as a clinical tool: present state and future perspectives

Islet transplant is an innovative treatment for type 1 diabetic patients, which still lies between experimental and approved transplant therapy. Islet cells are seeded in a non-physiological ter- ritory where an uncertain fraction will be able to adapt and survive. Thus, the challenge lies in improving the whole procedure, employing the tools of cell biology, immunology and laboratory techniques, in order to reach the results obtained with whole organ transplant. This review descri- bes the procedure, its progress to the present methodology and clinical results obtained. Future perspectives of islet transplantation in the light of recent biotechnological advances are also focu-