1. Anti‐thymoglobulin induction improves neonatal porcine xenoislet engraftment and survival.
- Author
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Qimeng, Gao, Robert, Davis, Zachary, Fitch, Michael, Mulvihill, Brian, Ezekian, Paul, Schroder, Robin, Schmitz, Mingqing, Song, Frank, Leopardi, Marianna, Ribeiro, Allison, Miller, Dimitrios, Moris, Brian, Shaw, Kannan, Samy, Keith, Reimann, Kyha, Williams, Bradley, Collins, and Allan D., Kirk
- Subjects
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BLOOD sugar monitors , *BLOOD sugar monitoring , *BASILIXIMAB , *RHESUS monkeys , *PORTAL vein - Abstract
Porcine islet xenotransplantation is a viable strategy to treat diabetes. Its translation has been limited by the pre‐clinical development of a clinically available immunosuppressive regimen. We tested two clinically relevant induction agents in a non‐human primate (NHP) islet xenotransplantation model to compare depletional versus nondepletional induction immunosuppression. Neonatal porcine islets were isolated from GKO or hCD46/GKO transgenic piglets and transplanted via portal vein infusion in diabetic rhesus macaques. Induction therapy consisted of either basiliximab (n = 6) or rhesus‐specific anti‐thymocyte globulin (rhATG, n = 6), combined with a maintenance regimen using B7 costimulation blockade, tacrolimus with a delayed transition to sirolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil. Xenografts were monitored by blood glucose levels and porcine C‐peptide measurements. Of the six receiving basiliximab induction, engraftment was achieved in 4 with median graft survival of 14 days. All six receiving rhATG induction engrafted with significantly longer xenograft survival at 40.5 days (P = 0.03). These data suggest that depletional induction provides superior xenograft survival to nondepletional induction, in the setting of a costimulation blockade‐based maintenance regimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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