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news.MicroIslet and The Scripps Research Institute have extended their diabetes collaboration agreement for an additional two years. The organizations have been collaborating in the area of islet cell transplantation therapies for treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes.
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Under the terms of the agreement, MicroIslet and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) will continue preclinical studies utilizing MicroIslet’s proprietary technologies. MicroIslet believes that the completion of this work will set the stage for studies enabling an Investigational New Drug application to the FDA.
MicroIslet will continue to provide financial support and technical assistance to TSRI. TSRI will contribute significant resources including the transplantation expertise of its scientists. MicroIslet has the option to retain all commercial licensing rights to any discoveries made through the collaboration.
Dr Salomon, lead researcher, and associate professor at TSRI in the Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, explained the nature of the research project being undertaken. “The severe donor organ shortage and the devastating impact of diabetes on our patients are compelling arguments to advance the field and develop a cure by a successful islet transplantation strategy,” stated Dr Salomon. “The use of islets from pigs, called xenotransplantation, could solve the donor organ shortage by providing a renewable source of tissue that could even be conditioned to increase success and safety.”
It is hoped that the project will be able to utilize MicroIslet’s evolving technologies to transplant such islet cells without them being rejected by the human immune system.