The Islets of Langerhans
Background:
The Islets of Langerhans, known as "islets," are clusters of cells scattered throughout the pancreas. Scientists estimate there are approximately 1 million islets in a healthy, adult pancreas, making up only 1-2 % of the entire organ. These are the cells that are attacked and destroyed in type 1 diabetes.
Within each islet cluster, there are a variety of cell types, one of which is the beta cell. Beta cells sense sugar in the blood and release the necessary amount of insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels. In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys these cells, and the body can no longer produce insulin, the hormone required to convert food into energy for the body’s cells. And although those insulin-producing islet cells cease to function in persons with diabetes, the remaining 98 percent of the pancreas continues to perform its digestive and metabolic processes normally.
Research Focus:
Here at the DRI, we’re researching cellular therapies to restore insulin production and normalize blood sugar control. Among those therapies is islet transplantation; separating healthy pancreatic islets from a donor and transplanting them into patients with diabetes.
Leading to a Cure: How this Research Supports our Mission
We’ve already demonstrated that transplanted islets can function for more than 12 years. Much of our research is now aimed at increasing the supply of islet cells available for transplantation, as well as eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs.
Islets are clusters of cells scattered throughout the pancreas, which include cells that sense sugar in the blood.
Islets of Langerhans are made of four different cell types. The majority are insulin-producing beta cells (shown in green) and glucagon-producing alpha cells (shown in red). The blue color is a marker used to locate the nucleus of the cells. Using Laser Scanning Cytometry (LSC), DRI scientists can study the physiology of the basic islet components to assess their viability before transplantation.