Senesco's technology improves rates of insulin-producing cells

By Elaine Rigoli

Tampa, Fla., March 22 - Senesco Technologies, Inc. released the results from a preclinical animal study indicating that eIF-5A1 gene technology increases the survivability of islets (insulin-producing cells) isolated for transplantation.

The transplantation of islets from donors has progressed during the past five years, according to a company news release.

Diabetic patients whose condition is difficult to control with insulin have a rapid return to normal blood glucose upon islet transplantation, the release said.

Unfortunately, islet transplantation typically requires cells from two donors and a large number of islets die during harvest due to isolation methods requiring digestive enzymes.

The study investigated the role of eIF-5A1 gene technology during the process of islet isolation for transplantation using a well-established mouse model. The laboratory team used a small interfering RNA (siRNA) that downregulates expression of eIF-5A1, which the company has shown reduces cell death in a variety of models.

The researchers observed a significant increase in the survival of insulin-producing islets when mice received an infusion of the siRNA to eIF-51A compared to a control siRNA, the release said.

In a concurrent study, the investigators showed that death of islets resulting from exposure to IL-1beta and interferon-gamma was also significantly reduced, meaning more viable islets remained.

Senesco is an agricultural biotechnology company with headquarters in New Brunswick, N.J.

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