The field of diabetes and islet cell transplants has been Dr. Jonathan Lakey's focus since 1986. He received a doctorate from the University of Alberta in 1990 for his thesis on human islet isolation and cryopreservation. In 1995, Dr. Lakey became the Assistant Professor of Surgery; Co-Director of the JDF Human Islet Distribution Program; Director of the Comprehensive Tissue Center, Capital Health Authority; and of the Clinical Islet Isolation Laboratory at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. His research efforts have focused on cell and tissue transplantation, with specific focus on the isolation and cryopreservation of pancreatic islets. His contributions towards the improvement of islet isolation techniques were part of The Edmonton Protocol that resulted in a consecutive series of successful islet transplants in brittle diabetics. Dr. Lakey has been awarded scholarships for his research on islet cell transplantation from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and the Canadian Diabetes Association.

The Foundation sat down with Dr. Lakey to ask a few more questions.

Why did you choose this area of research?

Dr. Lakey: “I've been involved in diabetes research for now more than 20 years. I guess I came to it just out of an interest. I don't have diabetes in my family, but I certainly have friends that have suffered from diabetes for many years. Through my work as an undergraduate and as a graduate student I had the opportunity to meet Scott King and the Cerco Medical Team and have had a relationship with that group for many years at many locations, finally now down in California at the University Of Irvine. This area of research has just been an opportunity that's been there and of great interest to me.”

When you were brought in to revitalize the program at University of California-Irvine, why did you choose this as your first project, your collaboration with Cerco Medical?

Dr. Lakey: “Based on my long history, my belief is that the Islet sheet technology and the science is sound and that for me it is one of the best options and opportunities for somebody with diabetes to have a successful islet transplant that will last long term. You know, I believe in the technology. The opportunity to work with Cerco Medical is always something I look forward to and we've been able to establish a very nice collaboration with specific scientificals, but also talking and thinking about where we want to end up. And that's always been our focus is to get this into a patient population that can benefit from the technology.”

Do you consider the Islet sheet technology a viable cure for diabetes?

Dr. Lakey: “Before we can even start talking about a cure for diabetes, two things have to happen. One, is the ability to get patients off of immuno-suppressants once the Islets are delivered into the body, because nobody wants to be on chronic immuno-suppression for the rest of their lives. The second major issue is to develop an unlimited source of islet tissue, and that may be expansion of adult tissue, it may be stem cells, it may be xeno-transplantation. With the Islet sheet technology we can put any of those cell lines into our system. So it is flexible and it certainly is patient-driven in terms of our end-goal. We're not interested in understanding the mechanism; we're interested in curing diabetes. And we want the best option.”

Basically you chose the project with Cerco Medical because of the potential of meeting those criteria, as opposed to other research?

Dr. Lakey: “Yes, the flexibility of the technology, so that if we have xeno cells or if we have stem cells, either one of those cell types can easily can be put into the sheets and transplanted into patients. It doesn't have to be a totally revised technology. It is flexible, and that's what's going to make it successful in the long term.”

What would you say are the major contributing factors to the negative thinking that there is right now towards encapsulations as a viable cure?

Dr. Lakey: “I think that there have been false promises. There have been groups that have pushed the envelope, and a lot of that has come from industry rather than academia. Industry wasn't interested in good science; they were interested in putting a product forward that would make them money. We want the Islet sheet technology to be successful, but it can be successful through good science and through working properly, in my mind, and, you know, we'll see where that ends up. But I just think there have been some false promises and industry pushing the encapsulation agenda more than it really should have been.”

Do you think it's a false promise that the Solving Diabetes Project, with the research that is being conducted right now, could see the Islet sheet technology in clinicals within two to four years if proper funding is found and research continues on the present track?

Dr. Lakey: “No that is not a false promise. I think the way we're approaching it is a way that's going to yield positive results in animal models, that will then provide the justification to advance it into clinical trials, rather than just pushing into clinical trials before the data supports that. This is one of the problems that has faced the field in the past. I think four years is realistic; I think we can get in there faster, but that depends on the results from our animal studies, and that also depends on the funding. With adequate funding we could be building the team and doing studies concurrently and moving things forward. Right now we're creeping along based on what we have in terms of support, but if we had the opportunity to hire another graduate student then we would be able to move faster, but you know, three, four years, I hope to be in the clinic for sure. We're not here to pull wool over anybody's eyes; we're here to provide honest answers. And, you know, Cerco Medical has shown that they are willing to share and collaborate with lots of different groups, even competitors, for the sake of moving the therapy forward, and that's one of the reasons I respect the group and why I work with them.”

Copyright 2010, Hanuman Medical Foundation