Xenotransplantation patient less reliant on insulin

The first patient to receive Living Cell Technology's Diabcell implant has reduced insulin dosage without ill effects.

The patient is a 48-year-old man with type 1 diabetes who is enrolled in the clinical trial of Diabcell currently under way in New Zealand.

According to Dr John Baker, Endocrinologist and Principal Investigator at the Centre for Clinical Research and Effective Practice (CCRep), Middlemore Hospital, the patient was able to reduce his daily insulin dose by 30 per cent while maintaining his usual blood glucose level.

Diabcell is Living Cell Technology's flagship product and contains insulin-producing pig cells implanted in to the body. It is administered without immunosuppresive drugs.

The implant is intended to normalise blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes sufferers.

The clinical trial of Diabcell continues in New Zealand, with a second patient to receive the implant in December, and two more scheduled to be added in 2010.