No abstract

Pregnancy increases metabolic demand for insulin and may lead to the exhaustion of intraportally transplanted islets and post-gestational hyperglycemia. To prevent these complications, we implemented preemptive insulin supplementation during two subsequent pregnancies in an insulin-independent islet transplant recipient. This strategy resulted in optimal blood glucose control during the pregnancies, the preservation of the optimal islet graft function and the postpartum maintenance of long-term insulin independence.

Pregnancy increases metabolic demand for insulin, which may lead to the exhaustion of intraportally transplanted islets and postgestational hyperglycemia. Here we report a successful long-term preservation of islet graft function after two subsequent pregnancies while applying preemptive insulin supplementation. 29-year-old female with T1DM achieved long-term insulin independence with HbA1c <5.8% after a single intraportal islet transplant. Before conception, mycophenolate was replaced with azathioprine and tacrolimus target trough level was decreased to 4-6ng/ml. The patient became pregnant twice, 5 years and 7.5 years after her islet transplantation. During the first and second pregnancy patient preemptively supplemented with insulin up to 35-70u/day and up to 35 units daily, respectively to target fasting blood glucose below 90mg/ml. Postpartum the patient was successfully weaned off insulin maintaining optimal blood glucose control with HbA1c below 5.7%. Islet graft function before and after the pregnancy remained optimal as reflected by BETA-2 above 17 and comparable c-peptide secretion and peak blood glucose levels below 130mg/ml during the 8.5-year follow-up in Mixed Meal Tolerance Test. Both newborns were premature and delivered at 34 weeks with emergent c-sections due to preeclampsia. Unfortunately, the first newborn died due to necrotizing enterocolitis. The second child has been developing appropriately up-to-date three months after her birth. Our report confirms that insulin supplementation during pregnancy in insulin-independent patients after islet transplantation was safe and effective in maintaining optimal blood glucose control and islet graft function in the long term. It also underscores the high-risk nature of pregnancy in islet transplant recipients and the need for close clinical monitoring. Disclosure S.Gondek: None. L.Wang: None. M.Tibudan: None. R.Barth: None. J.Fung: None. P.Witkowski: Advisory Panel; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Novartis. M.Ogledzinski: None. W.Lin: None. K.Milejczyk: None. B.Juengel: None. L.Potter: None. P.J.Bachul: None. L.Basto: None. L.Perea: None.

Each of 6 patients with T1DM and problematic hypoglycemia received 2 islet transplants into pre-implanted Sernova Cell Pouches (SCPs). Each procedure involved transplantation of islets into two 8-channel SCPs and one mini sentinel SCP. SCP implants and the combination of SCP with human cadaveric islets are both well tolerated with durations exceeding 3 years. Detectable islet function (≥0.3ng/ml peak serum c-peptide in mixed meal tolerance test) was achieved in 4 patients following islet transplant to SCP. It was correlated with transplanted islet mass of 300k-500k IEQ per procedure. Transplantation of islet mass <300k IEQ did not lead to detectable c-peptide secretion. C-peptide was detectable for periods ranging from days up to 12 months after the procedure. Three patients with suboptimal levels of immunosuppression due to non-compliance experienced antibody mediated rejection based on de novo donor specific antibodies (DSAs). One patient with DSAs had detectable stimulated c-peptide at 90 days post-transplant. Histological assessment of sentinel SCPs retrieved ≥90 days post-transplant revealed surviving functional islets within vascularized SCP channels via positive immunofluorescence staining of insulin, c-peptide, glucagon and somatostatin in 5 of 6 patients. Five patients received supplemental intraportal islet transplants (IPITx) and all of them remain insulin independent (>2.5Y, >1Y, 10M, 2M, 1M). The sixth patient is awaiting an IPITx in the coming months as per protocol. Safety and dose-response observations from the first cohort of 6 patients led to the implementation of 10-channel SCPs with 50% greater transplant capacity than the 8-channel configuration in a second study cohort. Two additional patients were recently implanted with 10-channel SCPs and are currently awaiting their first islet transplantation. Disclosure M.Ogledzinski: None. L.Wang: None. M.Tibudan: None. R.Barth: None. J.Fung: None. P.Witkowski: Advisory Panel; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Novartis. S.Gondek: None. W.Lin: None. K.Milejczyk: None. B.Juengel: None. L.Potter: None. P.J.Bachul: None. L.Basto: None. L.Perea: None. Funding Sernova; JDRF

Background: Total pancreatectomy is a last resort treatment for patients with chronic pancreatitis and intractable abdominal pain, however its utility has been hampered by the uncertain endocrine outcomes of islet transplantation and risk of postsurgical diabetes. Here, we present our 9-year clinical results after total pancreatectomy and islet transplantation. Materials and Method: Forty-one patients with chronic or recurrent acute pancreatitis were treated with TPIAT over the last 9 years at the University of Chicago Medical Center. There were 15 male and 26 female with a median age of 33 (6-65) and with median BMI of 25 (17-39). Five (12%) patients were already diabetic prior to surgery. Islet isolation was performed at a local laboratory compliant with current Good Manufacture Practice regulations. Islet purification was implemented in 4 (10%) cases to reduce islet pellet volume below 20mL for intraportal infusion. Results: All patients required opioids for pain control prior to surgery. Most of the patients (93%) reported resolution of pancreatic-type pain by postoperative year one. The number of patients requiring opioids for different type or location of pain declined over time from 13 (31%) at 1 year to 5 (12%) at 5 years after TPIAT. During TPIAT patients received on average 211,000±111,000 islet equivalents (IEQ), 2,500±1,600,). The majority of patients (95%) maintained endocrine beta cell function during follow up (serum c-peptide >0.5ng/ml). Over 40% of patients maintained long-term insulin independence: 44% (15/34) at 1-year and 45% (5/11) at 5-year follow-up. Conclusions: TPIAT successfully provided pancreatic pain resolution of pancreatic pain and preservation of the endocrine beta cell function in majority of the patients with no mortality. Islet autotransplantation prevented diabetes in over 40% of patients. Disclosure W.Lin: None. L.Wang: None. M.Tibudan: None. R.Barth: None. J.Fung: None. P.Witkowski: Advisory Panel; Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Novartis. M.Ogledzinski: None. S.Gondek: None. K.Milejczyk: None. B.Juengel: None. L.Potter: None. P.J.Bachul: None. L.Basto: None. L.Perea: None. Funding National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (P30DK020595)