Monitoring beta-Cell Survival After Intrahepatic Islet Transplantation Using Dynamic Exendin PET Imaging: A Proof-of-Concept Study in Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes

Intrahepatic transplantation of islets of Langerhans (ITx) is a treatment option for individuals with complicated type 1 diabetes and profoundly unstable glycemic control, but its therapeutic success is hampered by deterioration of graft function over time. To improve ITx strategies, technologies to noninvasively monitor the fate and survival of transplanted islets over time are of great potential value. We used [Ga-68]Ga-NODAGA-exendin-4 (Ga-68-exendin) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) imaging to demonstrate the feasibility of quantifying b-cellmass in intrahepatic islet grafts in 13 individuals with type 1 diabetes, nine after ITx with functional islet grafts and four control patients not treated with ITx. beta-Cell function was measured by mixed-meal tolerance test. With dynamic Ga-68-exendin PET/CT images, we determined tracer accumulation in hepatic hotspots, and intrahepatic fat was assessed using MRI and spectroscopy. Quantification of hepatic hotspots showed a significantly higher uptake of Ga-68-exendin in the ITx group compared with the control group (median 0.55 [interquartile range 0.51-0.63] vs. 0.43 [0.42-0.45]). GLP-1 receptor expression was found in transplanted islets by immunohistochemistry. Intrahepatic fat was not detected in a majority of the individuals. Our study provides the first clinical evidence that radiolabeled exendin imaging can be used to monitor viable transplanted islets after intraportal ITx.

Automated summary

We demonstrated the feasibility of quantifying beta-cell mass in intrahepatic islet grafts using Ga-68-exendin PET/CT imaging. Compared with the control group, the ITx group showed significantly higher uptake of Ga-68-exendin. Our study provides the first clinical evidence for using radiolabeled exendin imaging to monitor viable transplanted islets after intraportal ITx.