Editorial [Hot Topic: Islet Transplantation: Hopes and Hurdles (Guest Editor: Göran Mattsson)]

Ever since Paul Langerhans described characteristic cell clusters in the pancreas in 1869, they have been the subject of a vast amount of research, mainly focusing on finding a cure for diabetes. Since the number of patients with diabetes is rapidly increasing and is estimated to reach 150-220 million worldwide by the year 2010, this topic is becoming increasingly important. Over the last few years, the transplantation of islets has become a realistic option for the treatment of selected patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. However, even though progress has been made, there are still hurdles to overcome before a definite cure for every individual suffering from type 1 diabetes can be provided. Inadequate supplies of insulin producing cells, poor post-transplantation performance of the islets, and the requirement of life-long treatment of patients with immunosuppressive drugs are some of the challenges that clinicians and researchers face. In view of this, I am very honoured and pleased to have some of the leading research groups in the field of diabetes research contributing to this themed issue of islet transplantation; hopes and hurdles. The latest news on a diverse range of topics including fascinating articles regarding islet isolation, clinical islet transplantation, stem cells and angiogenesis are published in this special issue. At last, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the articles provided in this themed issue and that we can someday say that we have won the battle against diabetes mellitus.