by Chunhui Xie  , Yeh-Chuin Poh  , Lillian Ye  and George Harb

Received: 06 May 2019;  Published: 17 July 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1903072

Single cell genomics is a powerful tool to study cellular heterogeneity and discover novel cell types. Recent studies used single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze the transcriptomes of individual pancreatic islet cells. Islets are a complex mixture of endocrine cells and therefore represent an ideal tissue for single cell transcriptomic analysis. Adult human islets consist of five known endocrine cell types (α, β, δ, γ, ε) and multiple less well defined non-endocrine cells. In this review, we discuss the [...]

by Ibrahim Fathi  , Takehiro Imura  , Kozue Imura  , Megumi Goto  , Yasuhiro Igarashi  , Akiko Inagaki  , Makiko Kikkawa  , Fumiko Ono  , Hiroo Iwata  , Yohichi Yasunami  and Masafumi Goto

Received: 27 March 2019;  Published: 09 July 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1903071

BACKGROUND. Current non-human primate diabetic models, namely those induced by total pancreatectomy or streptozotocin (STZ) injection, suffer from several disadvantages, including a long surgical procedure, the need for continual digestive enzyme replacement, and a delayed oral intake after total pancreatectomy and severe hypoglycemia and hepatic/renal toxicity with high-dose STZ injection. AIM. To construct and optimize a non-human primate diabetic model that avoids the disadvantages of current approaches and com [...]

by Joachim Andrassy  and Antje Habicht

Received: 05 November 2018;  Published: 27 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902070

In recent years, the potential of hematopoietic stem cells, regulatory T-cells and mesenchymal stem cells resulted in a variety of clinical tolerance trials. Every approach has yielded promising results. However, the riddle of transplant tolerance has not been solved as of yet. The results of the ongoing trials in this field will provide additional information regarding the risks and benefits of these therapy approaches.

by Scott A. Campbell  , Matthew Hubert  , Janyne Johnson  , Nicole Salamon  and Peter E. Light

Received: 12 March 2019;  Published: 26 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902069

Background One of the goals of clinical islet transplantation is to achieve a single-donor transplant that is dependent on obtaining enough quality  cell mass from one donor pancreas. Human islets are routinely cultured prior to transplantation, and pro-survival factors such as GLP-1 analogues have been reported to maintain  cell mass and survival. Interestingly, human islets may secrete GLP-1 and they also express the enzyme DPP4 that proteolytically cleaves GLP-1 into an inactive form. The aim of this study is [...]

by Natasha Hui Jin Ng  , Wei Xuan Tan  , Ye xin Koh  and Adrian Kee Keong Teo

Received: 11 March 2019;  Published: 21 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902068

The ability to obtain purified human islets routinely and reproducibly has enabled substantial progress in providing a safe and reliable treatment option for adult Type 1 diabetes patients. The availability of human islets for basic research has also significantly impacted the progress of understanding human islet biology and consequently, diabetes pathophysiology. There are now approximately 70 human islet isolation centers documented around the world, as well as multiple coordinated human islet distribution progr [...]

by Hong Chee Chew  , Ling Gao  , Jeanette E. Villaneuva  , Aoife Doyle  , Mark Hicks  , Andrew Jabbour  , Kumud K. Dhital  and Peter S. Macdonald

Received: 09 March 2019;  Published: 18 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902067

Background: Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) utilises 1.2-1.5L of donor blood (DB) with a target perfusate haematocrit of 25% to reanimate the donor heart. Limitations to current practise include small donor size and donor anaemia which can impact on the recovery of these hearts. Furthermore, in DCD, blood collection delays delivery of cardio-protective solution resulting in longer warm ischaemic times. Banked blood (BB) is a potential alternative to donor blood. We investigate the effect of banked blood for th [...]

by Katerina G. Oikonomou  and Sarah Taimur

Received: 14 February 2019;  Published: 17 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902066

In non-endemic areas, HTLV-1 is an uncommon pathogen in the transplant host but can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Careful assessment of risk factors, targeted screening and heightened awareness of the clinical presentation of HTLV-1 associated disease is necessary for timely recognition and management in the transplant host. The use of antiretroviral agents in the management of symptomatic disease due to HTLV-1 remains controversial. HHV-6 has long been recognized as a pathogen in the tran [...]

by Sheila Krishnan  , Chadi Hage  , Raymond Coakley  , David van Duin  and Leonard Jason Lobo

Received: 18 February 2019;  Published: 10 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902065

Lung transplant recipients are at greater risk of respiratory viral infections as compared to other solid organ transplant recipients due to constant exposure of the allograft to the external environment. There are no standardized methods for surveillance, prevention, or treatment of these infections despite their association with increased morbidity and mortality. Various studies have linked respiratory viral infections with acute cellular rejection and chronic allograft dysfunction, and emerging data indicates a [...]

by Abid Hussain  , Daniel R. Collins  , Michael L. Green  , Francis E. Dwulet  , Stuart K. Williams  , Klearchos K. Papas  , Robert C. McCarthy  , Gopalakrishnan Loganathan  , Michael G. Hughes  , Gregory L. Szot  , Kate E. Smith  and Appakalai N. Balamurugan

Received: 29 March 2019;  Published: 24 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902064

Background: Purified bacterial collagenase and protease enzymes are commonly used to recover human islets from clinical grade pancreata for subsequent clinical islet transplantation. The high cost of purified enzymes can be prohibitive for recovering human islets from research pancreata used for translational research or pre-clinical studies. In this study, we successfully isolated islets from human research pancreata using enriched collagenase products supplemented with BP Protease (DE Collagenase 800 or Collagena [...]

by Amanda B. Cooper  , Stephen M. Downs  , Nicholas J Skill  , Richard S. Mangus  , Chandrashekhar A. Kubal  and Mary A. Maluccio

Received: 18 March 2019;  Published: 13 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902063

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal tumor, for which liver resection and transplantation are the only potentially curative treatments. No prospective, randomized study has compared survival in patients with compensated cirrhosis after the two operations. Decision analysis modeling is an objective method to quantify risks and benefits. This study aimed to use decision analysis with a Markov model to estimate the impact of liver transplant and surgical resection on survival for patients with early stage (i.e., [...]