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Mechanisms of Neonatal Porcine Islet Xenograft Rejection

Islet transplantation has the potential to be an effective treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes. However, a shortage of human donor islets and the need for continuous immunosuppressive therapy currently limit this therapy to patients with brittle type 1 diabetes. Neonatal pigs may provide an unlimited source of islets for transplantation; however, the barrier of islet xenograft rejection must still be overcome. Understanding the mechanism of neonatal porcine islet (NPI) rejection will help to develop targeted therapies to prevent rejection. This thesis studied the early immune cells and molecules involved in NPI xenograft rejection, compared the role of NK cells in two models of islet xenotransplantation and investigated the role of T cell co-stimulatory and adhesion pathways in NPI xenograft rejection. Targeting these aspects of the immune response to NPI xenografts with short-term therapies may play a role in improving NPI xenograft acceptance and induce long-term xenograft survival.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:AEU.10048/404
Date11 1900
CreatorsMok, Dereck
ContributorsGina R. Rayat (Surgery), Ray V. Rajotte (Surgery), A. M. James Shapiro (Surgery), Allan Murray (Medicine)
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format50880008 bytes, application/pdf

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