I just found this article and is somewhat interesting. It appears this group developed some kind of immune regulating anti-body which was used in the primate (monkey)(not mouse!) transplant with excellent results. This procedure is a little different then what LCT is doing because LCT is using encapsulated cells to protect against the immune attack which is obviously not perfect. This if it works sounds like a better plan.
Interesting article. Apparently they still use a lot of animal based insulins in Korea. Not so much here in the States anymore. The study was just three months, and the long term goal of course, a drug free cure. Cyclosporin, a common anti-rejection drug here does have side effects. I guess the biggest challenge is if this would be more of a benefit to a human patient or a risk.
There are a few different research groups now working with pig cells as opposed to human cells. The reality is for them to overcome the shortage of cells so it would be a treatment option for all diabetics it's either got to be Pig cells or Stem cells. LCT is having somewhat decent results with their transplant but it hasn't really shown to offer insulin independence. The good news is they are proving that using pathogen free pigs are safe to use in humans. Now they need to refine the procedure to get people off insulin and make it effective for quite a few years before additional transplants may be required.
