Clinical and research status of islet transplantation for type 1 diabetes in China / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Islet transplantation is an effective therapy for type I diabetic patients sensitive to insulin.OBJECTIVE: To investigate and evaluate the status and obstacles of islet transplantation in type I diabetes in China.METHODS: Published articles reported from January 1980 to December 2008 on Chinese Medical Current Contents database,the national funds from 2002 to 2008 in the database of National Natural Science Foundation of China on islet transplantation were searched to analyze the status of islet transplant research and clinical practice in China.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: 340 articles were reported from 1980 to 2008 related to islet transplantation in China, including 165 (48.5%) basic research, 45 (13.2%) clinical research and 130 (38.2%) reviews. Most of researches were conducted in the developed regions in the east of China. The Edmonton protocol had a great impact on the islet transplant research in China, and many projects of islet transplant have been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation. However, there remains obstacles in this field, such as organ and capital shortage and incomplete organ donation system.