Fantastic round-up, David. I'd read about the fruit fly brain map but not the islets insulin study. Incredible.
Was there a reason for the placement of the islets into the person? Do they migrate anywhere once introduced? Quite impressive if they can function away from the pancreas, although I suppose there's no reason for them not to provided they can still sense blood glucose levels and respond accordingly.
Hey Nathan, I'm glad I could include some things you find interesting and haven’t already read, haha.
Great question about the implantation site—I was curious about this too. It seems they had a few reasons for choosing it, including avoiding the pancreas due to potential immune challenges. Additionally, they found that the anterior rectus sheath provides a better environment for the survival and maturation of the islets compared to traditional intraportal sites. It also looks like they have some experience using this location in early-stage clinical studies.
On a side note, I might be stopping in Melbourne to meet some collaborators at UMel early next year. If it ends up happening and you're available, it would be awesome to meet up for coffee!
Amazing! That'd be so great to meet up. Definitely let me know when you're around. I'll be travelling over Christmas but back in the first week of Jan.
Thanks for the extra info on the implantation site.
The microplastics in the brain was a tough one to read for me as well. It's way past time for us to start cleaning up our food, air, and drinking water.
Fantastic round-up, David. I'd read about the fruit fly brain map but not the islets insulin study. Incredible.
Was there a reason for the placement of the islets into the person? Do they migrate anywhere once introduced? Quite impressive if they can function away from the pancreas, although I suppose there's no reason for them not to provided they can still sense blood glucose levels and respond accordingly.
Hey Nathan, I'm glad I could include some things you find interesting and haven’t already read, haha.
Great question about the implantation site—I was curious about this too. It seems they had a few reasons for choosing it, including avoiding the pancreas due to potential immune challenges. Additionally, they found that the anterior rectus sheath provides a better environment for the survival and maturation of the islets compared to traditional intraportal sites. It also looks like they have some experience using this location in early-stage clinical studies.
On a side note, I might be stopping in Melbourne to meet some collaborators at UMel early next year. If it ends up happening and you're available, it would be awesome to meet up for coffee!
Amazing! That'd be so great to meet up. Definitely let me know when you're around. I'll be travelling over Christmas but back in the first week of Jan.
Thanks for the extra info on the implantation site.
What a mix of fascinating discoveries - some good and some horrifying.
The microplastics in the brain was a tough one to read for me as well. It's way past time for us to start cleaning up our food, air, and drinking water.
What’s the best way to avoid microplastic build up in the brain?