Shortly after starting our Islet Lab end 1986, I hand-picked and photographed this special big heart-shaped isolated islet of Langerhans with Uncle Scrooge McDuck’s ‘lucky #1 dime’ in mind.
(dutch : Dagobert Duck’s geluksdubbeltje). This ‘First Islet’ poster was pinned to the wall in my study in the (small) Islet Lab ‘wing’ in the Cell Biology building of the Leiden University Hospital.
It’s an Islet of Langerhans isolated from a rat pancreas. For pilot work, the first months while developing our islet project plan, islets were isolated from rat pancreases.
I had started developing our basic lab methods… like eg. measuring the insulin secretion capacity and insulin content of isolated islets. A custom-made glass pipet was used to hand-pick and transfer the islets to little polypropyleen ‘Eppendorf’ tubes for insulin secretion tests with glucose stimulation.
Citation info : Lucky #1 Islet • 20240811 • Michel van der Burg • michelvanderburg•com | TakeNode 5234a6e0-4565-4167-bb46-0f922c0b1d2a
September 1989 at a symposium of two international societies in Minneapolis, USA (1) , I presented this first poster on the ‘ invention ‘ of using the UW solution ( the University of Wisconsin organ preservation solution) during pancreatic islet isolation, with the exciting discovery of near-complete purification of islets of Langerhans in the laboratory for transplantation in diabetic patients.
Here the remastered 20240804 edition of that Minneapolis 1989 poster presentation.
The UWS data had been added ad hoc in the poster – that is , it wasn’t part of the accepted abstract. The first proceedings paper on our UWS work was also submitted at this meeting , and was published April ’90 (3).
A previous edition of the remastered poster was published here two years ago (2) but that edition had a different photo print (higher magnification, and without the bar indicator) of the purified islet preparation inserted, not the original image. This has been corrected now. In addition the original line spacing is now restored.
Notes
1) Van der Burg MPM, Gooszen HG, Ploeg RJ, Scherft JP, Field MJ, Guicherit OR, Terpstra JL, Van de Woude FT, Frölich M, Bruijn JA. Comparison of islet isolation techniques in dogs: Over 90% purified islets using UW solution. 4th International Symposium on Organ Procurement and Preservation and 2nd International Congress on Pancreatic and Islet Transplantation, Minneapolis (USA) September 17–22, 1989.
2) Minneapolis 1989 Poster UW Solution Islet Isolation | 20220822 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com | URL https://michelvanderburg.com/2022/08/22
3). Van der Burg MPM, Gooszen HG, Ploeg RJ, Scherft JP, Field MJ, Guicherit OR, Terpstra JL, Van de Woude FJ, Frölich M, Bruijn JA. Comparison of islet isolation techniques in dogs: Over 90% purified islets using UW solution. Transplant Proc. 1990 Apr;22(2):795-6. PMID: 2158174. This paper appears to be not readily available online – a reprint copy is available here PMID_2158174 🔗
Leiden Islet Laboratory History • 20240803 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com | TakeNode fad1be86-34f2-453f-b477-2abc62e467be
Summer 1985… start of our Leiden Islet Transplant Laboratory by Paul van Suylichem (right) and Michel van der Burg (middle), both from the Surgery department — wondering how to start here our islet lab in this space – a former weighing chamber (left : stable weighing table) made available by the Cell Biology department of the Leiden University, headed by Prof J.P. Scherft. Where to put our equipment… the laminar flow cabinet, large centrifuge, fridge, freezer, shaking waterbath, microscopes, and a lot of disposables coming ?
I had started working in 1981 for the Pancreas project. Pancreas transplantation research with the surgeon Hein Gooszen , working on his PhD (1), and surgeon Reinout van Schilfgaarde – who headed the project – and in 1985 also started this islet project.
Summer 1986, when Reinout van Schilfgaarde together with Paul van Suylichem moved to the Groningen University Hospital (2), Hein Gooszen and I decided to make a fresh start with the now operational Leiden Islet Lab…
Fifteen years of research later we were ready to roll with the isolation of human islets of Langerhans, in our new GMP facility in the Leiden Univerity Medical Center (LUMC). September 2001, the National Health Care Institute positively assessed our permit application for Transplantation of Islets of Langerhans in the LUMC (3,6), followed by approval May 2003 of the islet bank by the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS).
Notes
Post last update : 20241010-1605
Gooszen HG. Canine segmental pancreatic autotransplantation. Analysis of the effects of ductobliteration. Thesis, Leiden, 1984
Advies vergunningsaanvraag transplantatie Eilandjes van Langerhans | Op 27 september 2001 uitgebracht aan de minister van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport. | Rapport 01/71 | C.R. Smand, J.P. Verduijn / College voor Zorgverzekeringen. URL https://data.bibliotheken.nl/id/nbt/p229940978
Update 20240807. Added some history, and made minor changes.
Update 20240828 minor correction date (Fresh start lab ‘At the end of 1986’ changed to Summer 1986.)
Update 20241010, added : Press release Sep 27, 2001 by National Health Care Institute (CVZ). Transplantatie Eilandjes van Langerhans naar LUMC 27 september 2001. CVZ adviseert over vergunning. John van der Pas, persvoorlichter CVZ. Source : Razende Robot Reporter | Nieuwsbank Interactief Nederlands persbureau . Retrieved 20090313 from Nieuwsbank.nl (link expired, domain has new owner). 20241010 PDF (Ads , and author phone number redacted by M.P.M. van der Burg | Miracles•Media) file 20241010_CVZ • URL michelvanderburg.com/2024/10/10
Citation info : Leiden Islet Laboratory History • 20240803 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com | TakeNode fad1be86-34f2-453f-b477-2abc62e467be
