October 2008 - New Zealand has approved the clinical trials that would transplant insulindefine-producing pig cells into humans in the light of finding a breakthrough treatment for type-1 insulin dependent diabetes.

David Cunliffe, the health minister said that the transplantation of pig cells to humans, known as xenotransplantation, would offer a great potential treatment for people suffering from diabetes.

He stated, "This is critical new technology that could well make New Zealand a world leader in both the treatment of diabetes and in the use of xenotransplantation."

The approval given for the clinical trials is the last process of a two-year application made by Biotech company Living Cell Technologies Ltd.. Headed by Professor Bob Elliott, Living Cell Technologies has been a pioneer in the research for type-1 diabetes treatment.

The procedure would involve transplantation of cells from a pig’s pancreasdefine to type-1 diabetes patients in order to produce insulindefine. The pig’s islet cells, which are the insulin producing cells of the pancreas, will be coated with a seaweed gel. It will then be implanted to a diabetic patient through his/her abdomendefine in order to help produce insulin and thus controlling the blood sugar level.

The transplantation of pig cells is indeed a breakthrough for treating type-1 diabetes. However, it still remains controversial because of the possible danger of transmitting a deadly pig disease to humans.

Cunliffe said, "It remains clear to me that any such trial will always carry a very low residual risk, so the key issue has always been whether this risk is sufficiently small and can be successfully managed." He also added that rigorous conditions as well as monitoring done by a group of experts will be imposed.

Research for this treatment has actually been started 12 years ago by Professor Elliott. In 1996-97, he made experimental injections of pig cells to six volunteers but it was stopped by the government because of the risk of transmitting disease.

According to Prof. Elliott, the pig cell implants, which will be marketed as DiabeCellB, were already tested in low dosages on a group of Russian volunteers last year. The results from that trial showed that the insulin requirements of those injected with pig cells reduced from 23 percent to as much as 100 percent.

The pigs to be used for the clinical trials are kept in quarantine after being bred from a herd isolated for 200 years living on the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands.