Open-label Investigation of the Safety and Effectiveness of DIABECELL® in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

This is an interventional treatment trial for Type 1 Diabetes focused on measuring xenotransplantation, type 1 diabetes, porcine islets Read More

Inclusion Criteria:

Adults (males or females) in the age range 18 to 65 years

• Diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus (minimum duration of 5 years) in accordance with the American Diabetes Association's criteria. Patients should have been treated continuously with insulin since diagnosis (Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus 2002)
• Patients with established brittle type I diabetes mellitus with a well-documented chronic history of metabolic instability who cannot achieve acceptable metabolic control (which may include treatment with the use of a continuous insulin infusion pump) without experiencing multiple episodes of hypoglycaemia, often with unawareness
• Patients should have an HbA1C ≥7% and ≤15% calculated as the average of the last four consecutive HbA1C readings during the 8-week baseline run-in period. The difference between the highest and lowest of the four HbA1C reading should be no more than 1.0%.
• Plasma C-peptide <0.3 ng/ml following a glucagon stimulation test (Scheen et al. 1996)
• If female, no childbearing capability (those who are more than two years post menopausal or have undergone voluntary sterilisation can be considered for enrolment)
• Provision of written informed consent. Patients will be required to agree to comply with all tests and visits specified in the protocol, and they (and their partners/close contacts) will also be required to consent to long-term microbiological monitoring, which is an integral part of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Type 2 diabetes, defined as age of onset >30 years and/or a history of treatment with oral hypoglycaemic medications and/or insulin resistance (defined as an insulin dose requirement ≥1.2 U/kg/day)
• An average HbA1C < 7% and >15% during the 8-week baseline run-in period
• Body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 or ≤9 kg/m2
• Active infection, with plasma C-reactive protein ≥10 mg/L at baseline
• Previous receipt of an organ, skin graft, or other tissue transplant from a human or animal donor
• Treatment with immunosuppressive medications for another medical condition
• Previous history of peritoneal disease or abnormal findings at baseline laparoscopy
• Previous abdominal surgery, excluding uncomplicated appendectomy, cholecystectomy or caesarean section
• History of pelvic inflammatory disease or endometriosis
• Inability to tolerate oral medications or a history of significant malabsorption
• HIV antibody and/or risk factors for HIV infection
• Positive hepatitis C antibody, positive hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B core antibody
• Kidney disease, defined as serum creatinine >130 μmol/L in men and >110 μmol/L in women and/or urinary albumin >500 mg/L and/or haematuria and/or active urinary sediment or casts
• Diabetes microvascular complications defined as untreated, potentially vision-threatening proliferative or pre-proliferative retinopathy or maculopathy; painful peripheral neuropathy; autonomic neuropathy manifesting as postural hypotension; gastroparesis or diabetic enteropathy
• Diagnosis of coeliac disease and history of gastrointestinal symptoms including chronic or recurrent diarrhoea, malabsorption, weight loss and abdominal distension or bloating on exposure to gluten products in the diet

• Serious comorbid conditions that are likely to affect participation in the study, including:

  1. Previous coronary heart disease manifesting as non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), Q-wave infarction or unstable angina; coronary artery bypass graft (CABG); or percutaneous angioplasty
  2. Previous cerebrovascular disease manifesting as transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) or stroke
  3. Peripheral vascular disease with previous amputation
  4. History of New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II, III or IV congestive heart failure (CHF) and/or chronic atrial fibrillation
  5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma with previous hospitalisation for decompensation; a requirement for mechanical ventilation at any stage; or long-term treatment with oral corticosteroids
  6. Liver disease with abnormal liver function tests defined as serum bilirubin ≥20 µmol/L, and/or ALT ≥100 U/L, and/or GGT ≥100 U/L, and/or albumin <35 g/L
  7. Haematological disorders, including haemoglobin ≤110 g/L or platelet count <80 x 109/L
  8. Peptic ulcer disease and/or history of previous gastrointestinal bleeding
  9. Malignancy other than basal cell carcinoma
  10. History of epilepsy
  11. Untreated hypothyroidism
  12. Known adrenal insufficiency
• History of drug, substance or alcohol addiction
• Any factor detected from psychometric evaluation at Visit 2 Pre-Tx during the screening period which may in the opinion of the Clinical Psychologist affect an individual's ability to fully participate in the study
• Any other condition that, in the opinion of the Investigator, may interfere with adherence to the study protocol, including dementia, mental illness, or a history of non-adherence to appointments or treatments