Optimization and Scale-up Isolation and Culture of Neonatal Porcine Islets: Potential for Clinical Application

One challenge that must be overcome to allow transplantation of neonatal porcine islets (NPIs) to become a clinical reality is defining a reproducible and scalable protocol for the efficient preparation of therapeutic quantities of clinical grade NPIs. In our standard protocol, we routinely isolate...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cara Ellis, James G. Lyon, Gregory S. Korbutt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2016-03-01
Series:Cell Transplantation
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3727/096368915X689451
_version_ 1818316153213157376
author Cara Ellis
James G. Lyon
Gregory S. Korbutt
author_facet Cara Ellis
James G. Lyon
Gregory S. Korbutt
author_sort Cara Ellis
collection DOAJ
description One challenge that must be overcome to allow transplantation of neonatal porcine islets (NPIs) to become a clinical reality is defining a reproducible and scalable protocol for the efficient preparation of therapeutic quantities of clinical grade NPIs. In our standard protocol, we routinely isolate NPIs from a maximum of four pancreases, requiring tissue culture in 16 Petri dishes (four per pancreas) in Ham's F10 and bovine serum albumin (BSA). We have now developed a scalable and technically simpler protocol that allows us to isolate NPIs from a minimum of 12 pancreases at a time by employing automated tissue chopping, collagenase digestion in a single vessel, and tissue culture/media changes in 75% fewer Petri dishes. For culture, BSA is replaced with human serum albumin and supplemented with Z-VAD-FMK general caspase inhibitor and a protease inhibitor cocktail. The caspase inhibitor was added to the media for only the first 90 min of culture. NPIs isolated using the scalable protocol had significantly more cellular insulin recovered (56.9 ± 1.4 μg) when compared to the standard protocol (15.0 ± 0.5 μg; p < 0.05). Compared to our standard protocol, recovery of β-cells (6.0 × 10 6 ± 0.2 vs. 10.0 × 10 6 ± 0.4; p < 0.05) and islet equivalents (35,135 ± 186 vs. 41,810 ± 226; p < 0.05) was significantly higher using the scalable protocol. During a static glucose stimulation assay, the SI of islets isolated by the standard protocol were significantly lower than the scale-up protocol (4.3 ± 0.2 vs. 5.5 ± 0.1; p < 0.05). Mice transplanted with NPIs using the scalable protocol had significantly lower blood glucose levels than the mice that receiving NPIs from the standard protocol ( p < 0.01) and responded significantly better to a glucose tolerance test. Based on the above findings, this improved simpler scalable protocol is a significantly more efficient means for preparing therapeutic quantities of clinical grade NPIs.
first_indexed 2024-12-13T09:16:54Z
format Article
id doaj.art-6bb46849b34d463682a523652c710521
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0963-6897
1555-3892
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-13T09:16:54Z
publishDate 2016-03-01
publisher SAGE Publishing
record_format Article
series Cell Transplantation
spelling doaj.art-6bb46849b34d463682a523652c7105212022-12-21T23:52:49ZengSAGE PublishingCell Transplantation0963-68971555-38922016-03-012510.3727/096368915X689451Optimization and Scale-up Isolation and Culture of Neonatal Porcine Islets: Potential for Clinical ApplicationCara Ellis0James G. Lyon1Gregory S. Korbutt2Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, CanadaAlberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, CanadaAlberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, CanadaOne challenge that must be overcome to allow transplantation of neonatal porcine islets (NPIs) to become a clinical reality is defining a reproducible and scalable protocol for the efficient preparation of therapeutic quantities of clinical grade NPIs. In our standard protocol, we routinely isolate NPIs from a maximum of four pancreases, requiring tissue culture in 16 Petri dishes (four per pancreas) in Ham's F10 and bovine serum albumin (BSA). We have now developed a scalable and technically simpler protocol that allows us to isolate NPIs from a minimum of 12 pancreases at a time by employing automated tissue chopping, collagenase digestion in a single vessel, and tissue culture/media changes in 75% fewer Petri dishes. For culture, BSA is replaced with human serum albumin and supplemented with Z-VAD-FMK general caspase inhibitor and a protease inhibitor cocktail. The caspase inhibitor was added to the media for only the first 90 min of culture. NPIs isolated using the scalable protocol had significantly more cellular insulin recovered (56.9 ± 1.4 μg) when compared to the standard protocol (15.0 ± 0.5 μg; p < 0.05). Compared to our standard protocol, recovery of β-cells (6.0 × 10 6 ± 0.2 vs. 10.0 × 10 6 ± 0.4; p < 0.05) and islet equivalents (35,135 ± 186 vs. 41,810 ± 226; p < 0.05) was significantly higher using the scalable protocol. During a static glucose stimulation assay, the SI of islets isolated by the standard protocol were significantly lower than the scale-up protocol (4.3 ± 0.2 vs. 5.5 ± 0.1; p < 0.05). Mice transplanted with NPIs using the scalable protocol had significantly lower blood glucose levels than the mice that receiving NPIs from the standard protocol ( p < 0.01) and responded significantly better to a glucose tolerance test. Based on the above findings, this improved simpler scalable protocol is a significantly more efficient means for preparing therapeutic quantities of clinical grade NPIs.https://doi.org/10.3727/096368915X689451
spellingShingle Cara Ellis
James G. Lyon
Gregory S. Korbutt
Optimization and Scale-up Isolation and Culture of Neonatal Porcine Islets: Potential for Clinical Application
Cell Transplantation
title Optimization and Scale-up Isolation and Culture of Neonatal Porcine Islets: Potential for Clinical Application
title_full Optimization and Scale-up Isolation and Culture of Neonatal Porcine Islets: Potential for Clinical Application
title_fullStr Optimization and Scale-up Isolation and Culture of Neonatal Porcine Islets: Potential for Clinical Application
title_full_unstemmed Optimization and Scale-up Isolation and Culture of Neonatal Porcine Islets: Potential for Clinical Application
title_short Optimization and Scale-up Isolation and Culture of Neonatal Porcine Islets: Potential for Clinical Application
title_sort optimization and scale up isolation and culture of neonatal porcine islets potential for clinical application
url https://doi.org/10.3727/096368915X689451
work_keys_str_mv AT caraellis optimizationandscaleupisolationandcultureofneonatalporcineisletspotentialforclinicalapplication
AT jamesglyon optimizationandscaleupisolationandcultureofneonatalporcineisletspotentialforclinicalapplication
AT gregoryskorbutt optimizationandscaleupisolationandcultureofneonatalporcineisletspotentialforclinicalapplication