BioCentury
ARTICLE | Emerging Company Profile

Islet: Finding safety in seaweed

April 27, 1998 7:00 AM UTC

For people with juvenile diabetes, a pancreatic transplant - major surgery that requires administration of immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of the patient's life - is the only current option, according to Islet Technology CEO William Drake.

Without a transplant, Type 1 diabetics experience a lack of control over blood glucose levels, leading to secondary complications including blindness and kidney failure. On the other hand, transplant creates the risk of organ rejection, and patients are susceptible to infection because of suppressed immune systems...