Preface - Ous-research.no

Cell Transplantation
Leader:
Aksel Foss, Professor, MD, PhD, MHA, FEBS (OUH/UiO)
Scientific staff:
Olle Korsgren, Prof, MD, PhD (Uppsala University)
Hanne Scholz, MSc, PhD, Post doc (OUH)
Tormod Lund, MD, PhD (Sørlandet Hospital, Arendal)
Kristine Kloster-Jensen, MD, PhD student (OUH)
Afaf Sahraoui MD, PhD student (OUH)
Tim Scholz, MD, PhD (OUH)
Trond Jenssen, Prof, MD, PhD (OUH)
Stein Bergan, Prof, MSc, PhD (OUH)
Karsten Midtvedt, MD, PhD (OUH)
Geir Hafsahl, MD, PhD (OUH)
Hilde Hestvåg, Study nurse (CIT-01) (NIH)
Professor Aksel Foss
Introduction
Cell transplantation is a fast growing field in medicine. In
front of a broad area of potential therapeutic options for
cell transplantation is transplantation of insulin producing
pancreatic islets as a feasible alternative for treatment of
unstabile type 1 diabetes. As such the treatment is highly
successful, but several hurdles have to be overcome before
islet transplantation can be a routine treatment for patients
with diabetes.
The first clinical islet transplantation in Norway was performed
at Rikshospitalet in 2001 by Foss and co-workers. The
Research Group for Cell Transplantation has been located
at the Institute for Surgical Research, Rikshospitalet since
2005. From that time on, several articles of experimental
islet transplantation have been published. In 2009 the first
doctoral thesis from the work of the research group was
published (Tormod Lund). A master degree was published
in 2008 (Ingrid Aursnes Stølen). Currently, two PhD-students
and one post doc is working full time with experimental
islet transplantation. The Research Group for Cell transplantation
is part of the Nordic Network for Clinical Islet Transplantation
and works in close collaboration with Uppsala
University.
During the last years extensive work has been carried out
to establish facilities for isolation and culture of other cell
types such as hepatocytes, neural cells and even xeno-cells,
with the aim of creating a ‘Center for Cell Transplantation’ at
Rikshospitalet. A working group of key individuals from IKF,
the University of Uppsala and the Karolinska Institute have
joined to bring forward a robust inter-Scandinavian collaboration
to address new potential cell therapies and a defined
research program has been established. The strength in this
organization is that the people involved are active clinicians
who rapidly are able to transfer new knowledge from
the laboratory into the clinic which is essential in modern
medical science.
For further advance in the field of cell transplantation,
knowledge obtained from islet transplantation research
is important. Inflammatory reactions are key elements in
islet isolation, culture and transplantation as it is in many
other biological processes. Functional and experimental
studies suggest that that the inflammatory status of cells
and tissues as well as at the implantation site is important
determinants for the outcome of cell transplantation. To
understand and control the processes of inflammation is
therefore necessary for further advances in the field of cell
transplantation.
Pancreatic islets
General Objectives
••
To utilize the present knowledge on clinical islet transplantation
and to induce C-peptide production in unstable
type 1 diabetics, thus improving quality of life and reducing
long term complications of type 1 diabetes.
••
To develop strategies to suppress inflammatory reactions
elicited by islet transplantation and to establish non-toxic
immunosuppressive protocols in islet transplantation, able
to induce immune tolerance.
••
To explore and develop striated musculature as an alternative
site for islet transplantation.
••
To obtain methods for in vivo surveillance of islet cell
engraftment, distribution and function by bioluminescentand
PET imaging.
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