From the DRI Website, here is information regarding DRI's Current Clinical Islet Transplant Trials that you or a friend might find interesting if you are becoming involved in one of the DRI's clinical trials of new treatments being developed at DRI:

At the Diabetes Research Institute, our clinical trials offer participants the opportunity to play an active role in their own healthcare. Patients involved in diabetes clinical trials can also access potential new treatments before they are widely available. These studies provide important information to advance medical care and are crucial to finding a definitive cure for diabetes. 

After a promising new treatment is developed in our laboratory and its safety and effectiveness is carefully tested in the pre-clinical setting, clinical investigators obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to conduct diabetes clinical trials in patients. Participants receive high-quality care and related study medications throughout the trial at no cost. 

We are actively involved in screening individuals for: 

Islet Transplant Clinical Trials: Though progress has been substantial, islet transplantation remains an experimental procedure. Our islet transplant studies will continue to focus on improving the safety and long-term function and success of cell transplants. Current Clinical Trials:

We’re actively screening individuals for participation in the islet alone or islet after kidney transplantation studies. 

1. Islet Cell Transplantation Alone in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Steroid-Free Immunosuppression* 

2. Islet After Kidney Transplant 

3. Strategies to Improve Long Term Islet Graft Survival 

For additional information on the trials and/or eligibility criteria, please call 305-243-5321 or send an email. You can also print out and complete the Islet Transplant Application form and fax it to 305-243-1058. 

The DRI collaborates with other researchers through the Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium, a network of clinical centers and a data coordinating center established in 2004 to conduct studies of islet transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes.

You can also read more about our current trials involving Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and those for the Intervention and Prevention of diabetes. 

Participating in a clinical trial for diabetes or any other disease is an important personal decision. To learn more about what’s involved, the National Institutes of Health answers Frequently Asked Questions about clinical trials on its web site. In addition, it is often helpful to talk to a physician, family members, or friends about deciding to join a trial.