AVAILABILITY OF HUMAN PANCREATIC ISLETS FOR NON-CLINICAL RESEARCH 
THROUGH THE ISLET CELL RESOURCE (ICR) CENTERS 

RELEASE DATE:  August 27, 2003

NOTICE:  NOT-RR-03-009

National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) 
National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) 

Patients having Type I diabetes mellitus have achieved long-term 
independence from exogenous insulin after receiving human pancreatic 
islet cell transplants.  To expand upon this observation, 10 Islet Cell 
Resource Centers (ICRs) were established in September 2001 as regional 
resources to provide clinical grade human islets to investigators 
engaged in islet transplantation protocols throughout the country and to 
optimize the procedures used to obtain such islets.  Each ICR possesses 
significant expertise in human pancreatic islet isolation and operates a 
processing facility that is compliant with FDA guidelines for current 
Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP). 

The ICR consortium will now also accept requests for islets to be used 
in non-clinical research.  A sub-committee of the ICR Steering Committee 
will review these applications and those receiving a favorable 
evaluation can suggest which ICR should generate these islets.  Islets 
will be provided to investigators based on their availability and the 
priority assigned to the request.  Investigators will be charged $0.10 
per islet equivalent, the sum being payable to the ICR provider.  

Islets should be requested through the Administrative and Bioinformatics 
Coordinating Center (ABCC), which provides the administrative, 
informatics and statistical support for the ICR consortium.  Application 
forms and additional information are available at http://icr.coh.org or 
by contacting:

Rebecca Nelson, Ph.D., Project Administrator  
Administrative and Bioinformatics Coordinating Center
Division of Information Sciences
City of Hope/Beckman Research Institute 
1500 East Duarte Road
Duarte, CA 91010-3000
Tel: 626-359-8111 x64040 
Fax: 626-471-7106 
rnelson@coh.org

Programmatic information is available from:

Richard A. Knazek, M.D.
Division of Clinical Research
National Center for Research Resources
Democracy One, Room 910
6701 Democracy Blvd.
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
Phone 301-435-0792
FAX 301-480-3661
knazekr@mail.nih.gov

Thomas L. Eggerman, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Islet Transplantation Program
Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases
National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Democracy Two, Rm 697
6707 Democracy Blvd. 
Bethesda, MD 20892-5460
Phone 301-594-8813
FAX 301-480-3503
eggermant@extra.niddk.nih.gov


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