No cells left behind

Although transplantation of human islets from donated pancreatic tissue is well known to restore insulin production in Type I diabetes patients, there is a severe shortage of donor tissue. Islexa Ltd. has developed a way to stretch the available tissue, increasing the number of patients who can benefit from a single donor, by converting non-islet pancreatic tissue into functional islets.

"The idea is to take leftover tissue from the pancreas and do something useful with it," said Keith Thompson, CEO of the U.K.'s Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and a member of Islexa's board. ...