The periodic Xenoislet meeting was held in Cremona on the 16-17th June. Xenoislet (Macroencapsulated Porcine Pancreatic Islets to cure Diabetes Mellitus type 1/2) is a European research program funded under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and it involves five partners: Avantea (Italy), Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), Glasgow Caledonian University (United Kingdom), Biotalentum Tudasfejleszto and Avidin Kutato (Hungary). During the meeting it emerged that innovative transgenic pancreatic islets produced in Avantea were positively tested by Dr. Nizar Mourad (Catholic University of Louvain). New pig lines (Glasgow Caledonian University and Avidin) meeting safety standards and guidelines set by the International Xenotransplantation Association (IXA) were also identified. These transgenic pancreatic islets will be used in subsequent pre-clinical studies.
Consortium members are required to undertake pre-clinical studies before being able to translate these new technologies to the human clinic field in order to cure diabetic patients.