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A leading New Zealand biotechnology researcher is
to start trials in Russia next month on transplanting pig cells into
diabetics, following claimed success with a test case begun in 1996.
The trials will be carried out while health officials consider
whether Professor Bob Elliott should be allowed to resume his work
in New Zealand, where authorities are concerned about the possible
spread of pig-borne disease. Elliott is medical director of
Australian-based Living Cell Technologies (LCT), which said three
regimens would be tested in Russia in order to find the most
appropriate, long-lasting and effective transplant possible.
In a statement received on Saturday, LCT said it
had recently published evidence showing the live pig “islet cells”
transplanted into a human diabetes patient more than a decade ago
are still producing insulin. “This has never been achieved before,”
Elliott said. “It is a profound step forward for safe, effective and
long-term diabetes control and shows the ability for pig cells to
survive inside a human for an extended period of time and without
immune suppression.” The patient, Michael Helyer, now aged 51, is
certain the treatment received in 1996 has helped him. “It’s not
about having fewer injections, it’s about getting more control. You
can’t live a normal life if you’re in fear of (blood sugar) levels
getting too high or low all the time,” he said.
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