Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells are destroyed, resulting in poor blood sugar control. The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of deoxyspergualin (DSG), an immunosuppressant drug, on post-transplant islet function in people with type 1 diabetes who have not responded to intensive insulin therapy.
Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic disease in which the pancreas produces insufficient insulin to properly regulate blood sugar levels. Hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, and hyperglycemia, high blood sugar, can lead to significant complications in people with type 1 diabetes. Intensive insulin therapy has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic complications in people who achieve near normalization of glycemia. However, this therapy is labor intensive, difficult to implement, and associated with an increased frequency of severe hypoglycemia. Transplantation of islets from a healthy pancreas has been successful in restoring normal blood sugar levels and has led to initial insulin independence in people with type 1 diabetes. Rejection of these islets by the recipient's immune system, however, makes the treatment ineffective within a couple of years. Immunosuppressant drugs may be an effective way to maintain islet function post-transplant. The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of an immunosuppressive regimen that includes DSG on post-transplant islet function in people with type 1 diabetes who have not responded to intensive insulin therapy. The study will also seek to improve the understanding of determinants of success and failure of islet transplants for type 1 diabetes. Following screening procedures and 2 days prior to islet transplant, participants will be randomly assigned to either this Phase 2 trial or a multicenter Phase 3 trial. Participants in this study will receive up to three separate islet transplants. They will begin receiving antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and sirolimus 2 days prior to the first islet transplant. ATG will continue to be given until Day 2 post-transplant. Participants will continue taking sirolimus for the duration of the study. On the day of transplant, participants will receive DSG and etanercept, in addition to ATG and sirolimus. The DSG infusion will be administered over 3 hours and will immediately precede the islet transplant. Participants will continue receiving daily 3-hour infusions of DSG through Day 6 post-transplant. Etanercept will also be administered on Days 3, 7, and 10 post-transplant. Tacrolimus will be administered on Day 1 post-transplant and continued throughout the study. Transplantations will involve an inpatient hospital stay and infusion of islets into a branch of the portal vein. Participants who do not achieve or maintain insulin independence by Day 75 post-transplant will be considered for a second islet transplant. Participants who remain dependent on insulin for longer than 1 month after the second transplant and who show partial graft function will be considered for a third transplant. Daclizumab or basiliximab will be used in place of ATG for the second and third transplants, if they are necessary. Participants who do not meet the criteria for a subsequent transplant and do not have a functioning graft will enter a reduced follow-up period. There will be up to 21 study visits following each transplant. A physical exam, review of adverse events, blood collection, urine tests, and measures of immunosuppression levels will occur at most visits. An abdominal ultrasound and glomerular filtration rate testing will occur at some study visits. Participants will also self-test their glucose levels at least five times per day throughout the study. A 12-month follow-up period will take place after the participant's last transplant.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
14
Preparation of allogeneic pancreatic islet cells injected into the portal vein of the liver
An anti-inflammatory agent that blocks proinflammatory cytokine production and inhibits T-cells and B-cells and affects antigen presenting cells.
Immunosuppressive that selectively depletes activated T-cells and depletes resting T-cells in a dose-dependent manner.
University of Californinia, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, United States
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Proportion of Insulin-independent Subjects
Time frame: 75 days following the first islet transplant
Percent Reduction in Insulin Requirements
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
Mean Amplitude of Glycemic Excursions (MAGE)
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
Glycemic Lability Index (LI)
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
Ryan Hypoglycemia Severity Score (HYPO)
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
Basal (fasting) and 90-minute Glucose and C-peptide Results
Derived from Mixed Meal Tolerance Test (MMTT)
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
Beta-score
Assesses beta-cell function after islet transplantation
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
C-peptide: Glucose Creatinine Ratio
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
Acute Insulin Response to Glucose, Insulin Sensitivity, and Disposition Index
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Will replace antithymocyte globulin in all islet transplantations after the first one
Maintenance immunosuppressive therapy
Maintenance immunosuppressive therapy
Blocks TNF-alpha which is toxic to islet cells
Derived from the insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance (FSIGT) test
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
Glucose Variability and Hypoglycemia Duration
Derived from the continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS)
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
Quality of Life (QOL) Measure
Time frame: 75 days following the first and subsequent islet transplant
Incidence of Worsening Retinopathy
Time frame: 365 days following the first islet transplant
Proportion of Insulin-independent Subjects
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Percent Reduction in Insulin Requirements
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Mean Amplitude of Glycemic Excursions (MAGE)
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Glycemic Lability Index (LI)
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Clarke Score
A hypoglycemia score
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
HYPO Score
A hypoglycemia score
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Basal (fasting) and 90-minute Glucose and C-peptide
Derived from Mixed Meal Tolerance Test (MMTT)
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Beta-score
Assesses beta-cell function after islet transplantation
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
C-peptide: Glucose Creatinine Ratio
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Quality of life (QOL) Measure
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Proportion of Subjects Receiving a Second Islet Cell Transplant
Time frame: 365 days following the first islet transplant
Proportion of Subjects Receiving a Third Islet Cell Transplant
Time frame: 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Incidence and Severity of Adverse Events Related to the Islet Cell Transplant Procedure
Time frame: 75 days and 365 days following the first and final islet cell infusion
Incidence and Severity of Adverse Events Related to the Immunosuppression Therapy
Time frame: 75 days and 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Incidence of a Change in the Immunosuppression Drug Regimen
Time frame: 75 days and 365 days following the first and final islet cell transplant
Incidence of Immune Sensitization
Defined by detecting anti-HLA antibodies not present prior to transplantation
Time frame: 75 days and 365 days following the first and final islet transplant
Acute Insulin Response to Glucose, Insulin Sensitivity, and Disposition Index (DI)
Derived from the insulin-modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance (FSIGT) test
Time frame: 365 day following the first and final islet transplant