Promising Research Offers Hope for People with Type 1 Diabetes
For people with Type 1 diabetes, islet cell transplants can be life-changing.
Transplantation of the insulin-producing cells extracted from a donor pancreas into a recipient’s pancreas stabilizes glucose levels, reducing dangerous blood sugar swings and the risk of long-term organ damage. Some recipients achieve insulin independence for a few months and others for several years. Islet cell transplantation has the potential to eliminate the need for daily insulin injections and the use of personal infusion pumps.
“It’s hugely satisfying to see recipients happy and free from intensive insulin therapy,” says Dr. Michael Bleszynski, a liver and pancreas transplant surgeon and hepatopancreatobiliary oncology surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital. “Islet cell transplants can substantially improve a recipient’s quality of life and save lives.”
Inspired by his patients’ experiences, Dr. Bleszynski is determined to take islet cell transplants to the next level and deliver even better patient outcomes. Thanks to a 2026 Venture Grant funded by the Organ Donation and Transplant Research Foundation of BC (ODTRF), he’s setting out to do just that.
A One-of-a-Kind Study in Canada
This fall, Dr. Bleszynski and his research team are embarking on the only Canadian study of its kind to test a new way to protect a donated pancreas en route to the recipient’s hospital.
Transporting any organ for transplant is a race against natural cellular decay. Because pancreatic islet cells are highly sensitive and easily damaged, preserving the quality of a donor pancreas is especially challenging – and important.
“Today, a patient typically needs anywhere from two to four separate transplant surgeries over a period of months because we can’t extract and ‘preserve’ enough healthy cells from one pancreas after transport,” Dr. Bleszynski explains.
Current best practice is to transport a donated pancreas on ice, an overall effective but suboptimal method. The fragility of islet cells calls for a new approach.
That approach — hypothermic perfusion — is the subject of Dr. Bleszynski’s research. It involves connecting the donated pancreas to a perfusion machine, a life-support device that will circulate a cold oxygen- and nutrient-rich fluid through the organ to prevent degradation during transport. Pancreases unsuitable for transplant due to donor-recipient matching constraints will be used to test this promising innovation.
If successful, the study will show that hypothermic perfusion during transport delivers a donor pancreas with more quality islet cells for transplant.
A Study Informed by Patients and Families
Dr. Bleszynski estimates that hypothermic perfusion could halve the number of transplant surgeries a recipient needs and make previously marginal pancreases viable, improving organ access.
The new approach could also offer donor families the peace of mind that comes from knowing their loved one’s gift will be optimally protected and make a meaningful difference in someone’s life.
To fully understand the potential benefits, the study will engage Patient and Family Partners to share their clinical journeys and perspectives.
“Every patient, every donor family, influences our constant quest to improve the standard of care and increase access to quality organs,” says Dr. Bleszynski. “It’s an honour and privilege to learn something new from each and every one, and it’s why we’ll listen closely to our partners, as well as to the data.”
An Exciting Time for Transplant Research
Dr. Bleszynski’s research offers hope for people living with severe Type 1 diabetes. It could also lead to clinical practice changes that benefit the patient journey and ease some of the strain on the health care system.
And that’s not all. Dr. Bleszynski sees a future where hypothermic perfusion could also benefit patients in need of a whole pancreas transplant.
“This is an exciting time for research and islet cell transplantation,” he says. “We have tremendous opportunity to improve a recipient’s quality of life — and maybe even cure Type 1 diabetes one day.”
“I and the entire research team are very excited and grateful to accept the 2026 Venture Grant. Our work wouldn’t be possible without it and the generosity of the ODTRF donors.”
To help fund research like Dr. Bleszynski’s, please consider donating to ODTRF today: