Pancreas transplant
World-class pancreas transplant medicine
For the Penn Medicine pancreas transplant team, our mission is to improve the lives of people with diabetes through transplantation. We were the first transplant center in the region to offer pancreas transplant as a treatment for type 1 diabetes, and we’re a worldwide leader in pancreas transplant research.
Our experience and expertise allow us to offer innovative options like islet cell transplant and kidney-pancreas dual organ transplants.
The pancreas transplant journey at Penn Medicine
We’ve guided hundreds of patients and families through the transplant journey with compassion and support. We get to know you as well as we know your condition, and you become part of the Penn Medicine transplant family for life.
To be considered for pancreas transplant evaluation at Penn Medicine, you or your provider must submit a referral through our secure referral portal.
After a referral from your provider, we schedule a one-day evaluation appointment. You’ll meet with members of our transplant team. We explain the transplant process and answer any questions you have. You’ll undergo several medical tests, and we’ll carefully review your medical history.
Our team then meets to review your evaluation in detail. If we determine that a pancreas transplant is right for you and you want to proceed, we place you on the pancreas transplant waiting list.
We submit your details to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a national organization that coordinates distribution of donor organs by region. Most of the pancreas transplants we perform are part of dual transplant pancreas-kidney procedures. The average wait time for a new kidney and pancreas is about one to two years. The wait time for a new pancreas only may be longer.
We carefully monitor your condition as you wait, and help you take steps to stay as healthy as possible. When a potential donor pancreas or kidney-pancreas pair becomes available, we contact you immediately. Your nurse coordinator will give you instructions to come to the hospital for pancreas transplant surgery.
We understand the emotional challenge of waiting for a new organ; we’re here for you with support and resources that make your time on the waiting list easier to manage.
Leading the way in islet cell transplantation
The Penn Transplant Institute is one of the only transplant centers in the world researching islet cell transplantation, an emerging therapy where a surgeon injects healthy insulin-producing islet cells from a donor into the recipient. Some people with type 1 diabetes can stop using insulin completely after receiving islet transplant injections.
We’re part of the Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our ongoing clinical trials provide our patients the unique opportunity to receive this experimental treatment.
Pancreas transplant procedures we perform
Many people who are eligible for a pancreas transplant also have kidney failure and require a new kidney, too. We have unique expertise in simultaneous pancreas and kidney (SPK) transplants. Our other transplant procedures include:
Our doctors
Our providers work with you to plan and deliver exceptional treatment and personalized care.
Locations
Our hospitals, multispecialty medical centers, pharmacies, labs and more offer outstanding, personalized care for patients all across the region.
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New clues in pancreas lymph nodes and spleen could stop the disease before insulin is lost forever.
New islet transplant method leads to insulin independence
A method developed by the Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium removed the need for insulin among seriously affected Type 1 diabetes patients.