Islet transplantation is a more physiological way to treat type 1 diabetes. However, shortage of donor tissue and chronic administration of immune suppressive drugs has limited the widespread application of this therapy for all patients with type 1 diabetes, particularly children suffering from this disease. Xenogeneic islet transplantation particularly neonatal porcine islets (NPI) holds promise for clinical transplantation because of the potentially unlimited supply of islets. New evidence suggests that monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for immune cell surface molecules could be employed in the prevention of islet graft rejection as well as induction of immunological tolerance to the transplanted grafts without the need for continuous administration of harmful immune suppressive drugs. It was shown by our group that short-term administrations of a combination of anti-LFA-1 and anti-CD154 mAbs which targets both adhesion and costimulatory pathways of T cell activation, is highly effective in preventing NPI xenograft rejection. In this thesis, we determined whether short-term administration of a combination of anti-LFA-1 and anti-CD154 mAbs could induce tolerance to NPI xenografts. Our data show that this combination of mAbs can induce dominant, species and tissue specific tolerance to NPI xenografts which is mediated by regulatory T cells in non-autoimmune prone B6 mice. We also found that T cell subsets such as CD4+ and CD8+ T cells as well as antigen presenting cells (APC) play an important role in the induction and maintenance of tolerance to NPI xenografts. In addition we found that PD-1/PDL interaction is important for induction and maintenance of tolerance to NPI xenografts. Finally, we found that this combined mAb therapy was effective in preventing NPI xenografts rejection in autoimmune prone NOD mice when it was combined with anti-CD4 mAb. It is may hope that the research presented in this thesis will provide insight into the nature of the immune responses to xenogeneic islet transplantation in humans and aid in the development of effective, tolerance inducing therapies, so that patients with T1DM will once again know a life free from their disease. / Experimental Surgery

Lic.-avh. (sammanfattning) Luleå : Luleå tekniska universitet, 2007. / Härtill 2 uppsatser.

Dissertation (Ph.D.).--University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at San Antonio, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1994. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [80]-85).

Thesis (PhD. (Nursing Science) - Faculty of Health Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2009. / Thesis directed by Maura A. Ryan for the Department of Theology. "April 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 250-259).

Thesis (M.Sc. (Food and Nutrition for Development))--Mahidol University, 1999.

Thematic paper (M.C.T.M. (Tropical Pediatrics))--Mahidol University, 2008. / LICL has E-Thesis 0038 ; please contact computer services. LIRV has E-Thesis 0038 ; please contact circulation services.

Thesis (M. Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Summary in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Aberdeen University, 2008. / Title from web page (viewed on Feb. 26, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.