Paola Maffi
DRI: Islet transplantation
The transplant of islet of Langerhans is an approach to cure type 1 diabetes that aims to restore the physiological insulin secretion that was lost with the destruction of beta cells at the onset of disease. The rational of this therapeutic approach is based on the possibility of curing diabetes with minimal risks related to the infusion procedure and its potential complications. Islets are transplanted through a simple infusion in the portal vein, with no need for surgery. As with all transplants islet transplant requires an anti-rejection therapy the need to be taken for as long as the islets are producing insulin. All clinical trials of the Pancreatic Islet Transplantation Program are conducted through a collaboration between the Internal Medicine and Transplant Unit, the Experimental endocrinology Unit and the Islet Processing Activity. The first islet transplant was done in 1989 and since then our group continues selecting potential islet transplant candidates, assisting those who have received an islet transplant with special focus on side effects. Some of our clinical trials are conducted in collaboration with international institutions, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States and the European Consortium of Islet Transplantation (ECIT). Supports for the Pancreatic Islet Transplantation Program comes from national and international funding agencies.
The clinical group is committed in the Collaborative Islet Transplant Registry (CITR), which is the international islet transplant registry supported by NIH and Juvenile Diabetes Research Fundation (JDRF).






