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Feb 4 2005
A doctor from
Canada has led the world's first transplant of insulin-producing
cells from a living donor, pioneering a surgery that could mean
faster, better treatment for diabetics.
Dr. James Shapiro
and Japanese surgeons removed part of the pancreas from a
56-year-old woman and took out insulin-producing cells called
islets. Then they successfully transplanted them in the woman's
27-year-old daughter.
Shapiro said the
operation represents a "dramatic step forward." The surgery was
conducted January 19 at Kyoto University in Japan.
The insulin cells still have to
match and the procedure carries some risks for both donor and
recipient, Shapiro warned. The living transplant holds the potential
of a cure for Type 1 diabetics.
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