Lablanche et al. published TRIMECO trial results in a paper

08.06.2018

doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(18)30078-0.

This work has been described in a linked commentary as "a landmark achievement by a major European trial group, providing robust evidence to guide clinical decision making in this field" (by Shareen Forbes, Peter A Senior, AM James Shapiro, University of Edinburgh, UK).

Major results:
The Trimeco study compares for the first time the efficacy of islet transplantation and intensive insulin treatment (through a randomized design). Results shows that, six months after islet transplantation, 84% of recipients have excellent glycemic control without severe hypoglycaemia, while none of the patients who remained on insulin therapy achieved such improvements. 58.7% of recipients were able to stop taking insulin one year after the transplant. This improved metabolic control corresponds to a great gain in quality of life for patients suffering from severe forms of type 1 diabetes.
Islet transplantation appears as an efficient therapy to restore glycemic control and quality of life in type 1 diabetic patients with severe glycemic variability but the benefits of islet transplantation are counterbalanced by adverse events mainly driven by immunosuppression (accounting for two-thirds of the serious adverse events).
Dr. Sandrine Lablanche and Pr. Pierre-Yves Benhamou are part of TRIMECO working group, and also members of the BIOCAPAN consortium.
Data from TRIMECO study highlight the burden of immunosupression and the interest of encapsulation and the BIOCAPAN project to enhance islet transplantation outcomes.