Edmonton Protocol
Sweet success: world’s largest islet transplant program celebrates 20 years of changing lives for people with diabetes
James Shapiro leads the team that developed the revolutionary Edmonton Protocol for islet cell transplants, which has proven successful in improving quality of life for people with hard-to-control diabetes over the last 20 years.
History of a diabetes breakthrough
"In the summer of 2000, a global spotlight shone momentarily on Edmonton. A small team of University of Alberta researchers had done what, until then had been impossible, helping patients with Type 1 diabetes become insulin-independent at an unprecedented success rate of 100 per cent. Termed the "Edmonton Protocol," the procedure became a ray of hope for those suffering from diabetes worldwide."
History of a diabetes breakthrough
Twenty years ago, U of A scientists transformed Edmonton into the world's leading light in the quest to cure Type 1 diabetes. Now they're at it again. Ross Neitz - 27 May 2020
The past, present and bright future of a diabetes breakthrough
"Isolating the insulin-producing islets posed a major challenge. If donor islets could somehow be isolated, it was postulated that they could be injected into the liver. There, the islets would become revascularized and perform their duties as usual, away from the besieged pancreas, the site where a diabetic's immune system inexplicably attacks healthy islets. With any luck, such a transplant-accompanied by a proper anti-rejection drug regimen-could allow a Type 1 diabetic to be free of insulin injections."
The past, present and bright future of a diabetes breakthrough
Sixteen years ago, UAlberta scientists transformed Edmonton into the world's leading light in the quest to cure Type 1 diabetes. Now they're at it again. Ross Neitz - 14 November 2016
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The New England Journal of Medicine
In July 2000, Dr. James Shapiro and colleagues published their seminal paper on the Edmonton Protocol in The New England Journal of Medicine