A multi-centre trial of a new immunosuppression regime for pancreatic islet transplant recipients

Type 1 diabetes can sometimes cause a dangerous condition called hypoglycaemia unawareness — where the body loses the ability to sense and respond to dangerously low blood sugar. For people with severe, recurring episodes that cannot be controlled through standard treatments, a pancreatic islet transplant (transplanting insulin-producing cells from a donor pancreas) can restore this awareness and reduce the need for insulin injections. After a transplant, patients must take immunosuppressive medications for life to prevent the body from rejecting the new cells. This Phase 2 trial is testing a new combination of immunosuppressive drugs — belatacept and sirolimus — as an alternative to the standard regimen. The goal is to maintain transplant success while potentially causing fewer side effects, particularly for the kidneys. You may be eligible if you have had Type 1 diabetes for more than five years, have severe recurrent low blood sugar episodes that don't respond to standard therapy, and meet specific health criteria including good kidney function and a weight under 85 kg. People with prior organ transplants, significant heart, liver or lung disease, HIV, hepatitis B or C, or a history of cancer (other than certain skin cancers) would not be eligible.