Novel Immunomodulatory Approaches for Porcine Islet Xenotransplantation.

Long-term graft survival of porcine islets was achieved by using anti-CD154 Ab-based regimens in a preclinical non-human primate (NHP) model. However, owing to a serious complication of thromboembolism in clinical trials, the development of an anti-CD154 Ab-sparing immunosuppressant procedure is required. The efficacy of new immunosuppressive practices that employ anti-CD40 Abs or other immunosuppressive reagents has been tested in a NHP model to realize their utility in porcine islet xenotransplantation. The recent progress in the development of immunomodulatory approaches, including the immunosuppressive regimen, which enables long-term graft survival in a pig-to-non-human primate islet xenotransplantation model, with their potential clinical applicability was reviewed.