Transplantation of pancreatic islets in the omental pouch using a resorbable plasma-thrombin gel: preliminary results in rodents and nonhuman primates

Dora Berman^1,2,3,4, Antonello Pileggi^1,2,3,4, R. Damaris Molano^1,2,3,4, Carmen Fotino^1,2,3,4, Norman M. Kenyon^1,2,3,4, Norma S. Kenyon^1,2,3,4, Camillo Ricordi^1,2,3,4

¹Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States; ²Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States; ³Surgery, Microbiology and Immunology, Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Miami, FL USA, FL, United States; ⁴Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States

Transplantation of pancreatic islets is a viable therapeutic option for the treatment of unstable diabetes.  Currently, islets are transplanted into the portal venous system through their embolization into the liver sinusoids resulting in loss of a substantial islet mass to inflammation and hypoxia.  The need for developing alternative, extra-hepatic implantation sites for islets has been recognized. Implantation of islets into omental pouches is appealing because the omentum is well vascularized and has portal blood drainage.