Islet Purification for Clinical Islet Transplantation

In clinical islet transplantation, islet purification reduces the amount of tissues to be transplanted by removing the acinar tissue, therefore minimizing the risks associated with intraportal infusion. On the other hand, the purification procedure may result in decreased numbers of islets recovered from digested tissue and may be traumatic for the islets. Ficoll- based density gradients are widely used in islet purification in clinical trials. Recently, purification with iodixanol was reported in an islet transplantation series with successful clinical outcomes. This review describes current advances in islet purification for clinical islet transplantation.