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Claim analyzed
Health“Living Cell Technologies conducted clinical trials in New Zealand in which islet cells from Auckland Island pigs were transplanted into eight patients with type 1 diabetes.”
Submitted by Silent Jaguar 017d
The conclusion
Open in workbench →The central claim is well supported: Living Cell Technologies did conduct New Zealand clinical studies using Auckland Island pig islet cells in patients with type 1 diabetes. The problem is the number. Eight patients matches an intermediate stage reported at the time, but the completed New Zealand trial later treated 14 patients, so the claim is accurate in substance but incomplete as stated.
Caveats
- The figure of eight appears to describe an interim stage, not the final total for the New Zealand trial program.
- Using a single fixed patient count is imprecise because the New Zealand studies expanded over time and involved multiple cohorts/phases.
- Some supporting reports are company or investor communications; the strongest confirmation comes from peer-reviewed and registry-style sources, which also show the later total of 14 treated patients.
This analysis is for informational purposes only and does not constitute health or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health-related decisions.
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Sources
Sources used in the analysis
"The first clinical trial of (alginate-encapsulated) porcine islet cell transplantation in New Zealand, which was approved by the New Zealand Government as an open-label phase I/IIa safety/efficacy trial, offers the possibility to analyze microbiological safety in a prospective clinical study." "Beginning in 2009, fourteen patients with severe unaware hypoglycemia were treated with one of four different dosages of alginate-encapsulated porcine islets ranging from 5000–20,000 islet equivalents delivered in a single dose." "Blood samples from 14 pig islet cell recipients were also investigated ... at weeks 1, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 52 post-transplant for the transmission of porcine microorganisms."
"At least two small pig islet transplant trials are already under way, conducted by Living Cell Technologies in Auckland, New Zealand, reported the company's managing director, Paul Tan, in July. Tan said eight patients with type 1 diabetes have undergone transplant of microencapsulated pig islets and have been followed for up to 22 months." "The pigs, isolated on Auckland Island for more than a century, are being bred in a biosecure facility in Invercargill, New Zealand, to supply islets for the trials."
Living Cell Technologies Limited today released positive preliminary results for its Phase I/IIa clinical trial of the company's proprietary DiabeCell porcine islet cell implant for the treatment of type 1 diabetes... The clinical trial is being conducted in six type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients. Participants in this trial are first administered the lowest clinically effective dose and then given additional treatments to achieve additional clinical benefit. ... LCT intends to conduct a second Phase I/IIa clinical trial of 12 months duration in New Zealand of its DiabeCell product with a patient cohort composed of eight long-standing type 1 diabetics. Patients will receive higher doses of DiabeCell than in the trial currently underway. It is anticipated that this trial will start in late 2007 and then will be followed by a larger pivotal trial.
In Argentina, phase I/IIa studies have been completed in eight patients with type 1 diabetes who received one to three implants of DIABECELL® (encapsulated porcine islets). The trial demonstrated safety and indicated potential efficacy, with two of seven patients becoming insulin independent for periods of 4 and 32 weeks respectively. The New Zealand trial extends clinical data to eight more patients, four of whom have already received implants.
The first group of four New Zealand patients received one implant of DIABECELL at the dose of 10,000 islet equivalents per kilogram body weight (IEQ/kg)... ... The second group of four New Zealand patients has received a dose of 15,000 IEQ/kg with no significant adverse events attributed to the treatment. These patients have now been followed up for at least 12 weeks. ... DIABECELL comprises encapsulated porcine insulin-producing cells (islets) that are implanted into the abdomen of patients using a simple laparoscopic procedure.
DIABECELL has been tested in 38 patients across three international clinical studies to assess its safety, determine the optimal dose, and gain an early understanding of its effectiveness in managing Type 1 diabetes (NCT00940173, NCT01739829 and NCT01736228). Results indicate DIABECELL can significantly reduce unaware hypoglycemic events and allow patients to lower their insulin dosage without increasing HbA1c levels. ... DIABECELL offers a promising solution for Type 1 diabetes by transplanting encapsulated pig islets into patients. This simple surgical procedure replaces lost human islets, restoring the body's natural blood glucose control. Encapsulated in a jelly-like capsule, the pig islets are protected from the patient's immune system.
The New Zealand dose-finding trial was led by Dr John Baker at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland and saw 14 patients treated with a single implant of DIABECELL at doses of 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000 IEQ/kg (islet equivalents per kilogram of body weight). All 14 patients were enrolled into the trial, all patients completed the trial and all are included in the efficacy and safety evaluations. The implant of alginate encapsulated porcine islet cells into type 1 diabetic patients was well tolerated, and safety data showed no long-term reactions.
The purpose of this study is to establish the safety of xenotransplantation of DIABECELL (immunoprotected (alginate-encapsulated) porcine islets) in patients with type I diabetes mellitus... The intention of this phase I/IIa clinical trial is to obtain at least 52 weeks safety and preliminary efficacy data in type 1 diabetic patients following transplantation of a single low effective dose of DIABECELL into the peritoneal cavity. ... Location: Auckland, New Zealand. ... DIABECELL comprises neonatal porcine islets encapsulated in alginate microcapsules.
In 2009 the New Zealand Government approved a phase I/IIa clinical trial using porcine islet cells. In October 2009 the first New Zealand patient was transplanted with DIABECELL®. The primary objectives for the phase I/IIa clinical trial are safety and improvement in blood glucose level reflected in a decrease of HbA1c (%) level, with secondary objectives including reduction of insulin dose and decrease in hypoglycaemia frequency. Safety data shows the absence of evidence of pig virus transmission to the recipients.
Five patients have now been successfully implanted with the lowest dose of DiabeCell® in our Phase I/IIa clinical trial. So far, results obtained from the Phase I/IIa clinical trial have demonstrated that the treatment is safe and well tolerated. There is evidence of clinical benefit in patients treated with the lowest dose, with reductions in unaware hypoglycaemic episodes and insulin dose.
"In 2008, the New Zealand based company Living Cell Technologies (LCT) was granted approval for human clinical trials of animal-to-human transplantation (xenotransplantation) in New Zealand." "Human clinical trials in xenotransplantation using cells from the Auckland Island pigs were approved by the New Zealand government in 2008 and continue to progress. LCT is now positioned at the forefront of clinical trials in xenotransplantation globally, with one product designed to treat diabetes and another for Parkinson’s disease." "The therapy for diabetes uses islet cells from the pancreases of Auckland Island pigs, encapsulated in alginate, transplanted into patients with type 1 diabetes."
"The case outlines the process of pre-clinical and clinical trials undertaken by the company as they moved towards commercialising their pig islet cell treatment for Type 1 diabetes." The document describes Living Cell Technologies’ development pathway for pig islet cell therapy (DIABECELL) for type 1 diabetes, including pre-clinical and clinical trials, but the available text does not state that eight patients were enrolled in a specific New Zealand trial nor give precise patient numbers.
Living Cell Technologies Limited (ASX: LCT; OTCQX: LVCLY) today announced that the New Zealand Minister of Health has approved the addition of two patients to the New Zealand Phase II clinical trial of DIABECELL. These patients will be in addition to the 12 patients already approved to receive DIABECELL implants, LCT’s encapsulated porcine islets for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. To date, 11 of the 12 approved New Zealand patients with unstable insulin dependent diabetes have received this ground-breaking treatment.
"Living Cell Technologies (LCT) is a New Zealand company at the forefront of xenotransplantation research." "The Living Cell Technologies (LCT) DIABECELL product consists of encapsulated insulin-producing pig cells that are used to treat people with type 1 diabetes." "Pig cell transplants are currently being trialled as a treatment for type 1 diabetes. Transplanting insulin-producing pig cells into diabetics has been shown to improve blood sugar control and reduce the amount of insulin needed."
Clinical trials of Living Cell Technologies (LCT) pig cell transplants began in 2009. The trials show that encapsulated pig cells are safe and improve blood sugar control in type 1 diabetics. Research published in 2016 continues to support these findings. ... Clinical trials of DIABECELL are now being done in several countries. The first trial was in Russia, and trials are under way in New Zealand and Argentina. The encapsulated pig cells are transplanted into patients with type 1 diabetes that have ‘unaware hypoglycaemia’.
"LCT has developed a pig transplant product to treat type 1 diabetes. LCT’s DIABECELL product uses islets extracted from the pancreas of 7–16 day old piglets to produce insulin in response to blood sugar levels. The islets are encapsulated in a seaweed-based coating to protect them from the transplant recipient’s immune system." "The cells that LCT use come from a special herd of Auckland Island pigs, and the cells that we use come from neonatal pigs – those pigs are aged between 7 days and 16 days old."
LCT achieves promising preliminary results – 9 October – Positive preliminary data on DiabeCell phase I/IIa trial. ... Two patients were injected with their first dose of DiabeCell at the smallest dose (5,000 islet equivalents) and neither had any adverse events... At one month and three months of follow-up respectively, both patients had exceeded a 25% reduction in insulin requirements... A second dose is to be administered 6 months later. ... 22 October – Further positive preliminary data on Diabecell trial – A second patient was implanted with first dose of DiabeCell in September 2007. At one month following the implant the patient was weaned off insulin altogether. Meanwhile at 4 months follow-up, the first patient has reduced his daily insulin requirement by approximately 40%.
"Living Cell Technologies received Government permission in June to begin clinical trials using the genetically pure pigs. Kept in a facility near Invercargill, the pigs are descendants of those released on Auckland Island … in the 1800s." "The clinical trials will use cells from the pigs’ pancreases to help treat type 1 diabetes sufferers."
Living Cell Technologies announced Wednesday that it started a phase 1 and 2a New Zealand clinical trial of Diabecell, an investigative drug for treating type 1 diabetes... The study will take place over 12 months and involve six patients. ... Diabecell is made from pig cells that produce insulin and similar hormones to regulate blood sugar. The cells are derived from Auckland Island pigs and enclosed in capsules to protect them from the diabetic patients’ immune systems.
The trial, which commenced in June 2007 in Russia, is reported for the eight patients. The patients, between 21 and 68 years of age with insulin-dependent diabetes, have received between one and three implants of DIABECELL®, encapsulated porcine islet cells. In total, 2 of the 8 patients implanted became insulin independent for 4 weeks and 32 weeks respectively. LCT also recently reported that DIABECELL® has progressed to the next stage of its Phase II studies in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Minister of Health has approved the addition of two patients to Living Cell Technologies' phase II clinical trial of Diabecell in New Zealand. This takes the total number of patients in the trial to eight. ... The Diabecell clinical trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of encapsulated porcine islet cells transplanted into patients with type 1 diabetes who suffer from hypoglycemic unawareness.
"Pigs isolated from contact with other pigs for over 150 years on the Auckland Islands are used by Living Cell Technologies (LCT) to produce cells for treatment of diabetes and other diseases." "In June, LCT received approval from the New Zealand Government to commence clinical trials of DIABECELL, its encapsulated pig islet cell product, in patients with Type 1 diabetes."
"Scientists at the New Zealand company Living Cell Technologies have begun clinical trials today in which cells from newborn pigs will be used for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. Specifically, the transplanted cells will consist of the beta islet cells from the pancreas, which are the cells that produce insulin. The experimental procedure will be tested on eight human volunteers." This article explicitly states that LCT began clinical trials in New Zealand using beta islet cells from newborn pigs to treat type 1 diabetes and that the procedure would be tested on eight human volunteers, aligning with the claim’s description of eight patients, though it does not specify in this snippet that the pigs are the Auckland Island herd.
DIABECELL is presently in a Phase II clinical trial in New Zealand following positive early results. The cells are implanted into the peritoneal cavity of patients with ‘brittle’ type 1 diabetes and hypoglycaemic unawareness. ... DIABECELL consists of porcine islets isolated from pathogen-free Auckland Island pigs, encapsulated in alginate to avoid immune rejection, and transplanted into human recipients as a xenogeneic cell therapy for insulin-dependent diabetes.
"In the late 1980s, New Zealand pediatrician Bob Elliott and colleague David Collinson started a company called Diatranz to investigate whether pig islet cells could be used to treat Type-1 diabetes." "In 2004, Elliott, Tan, and others set up a company called Living Cell Technologies, or LCT, which absorbed Diatranz and took over the pigs’ care, building an expensive facility near Invercargill to keep them in medical-grade isolation while they were selectively bred for xenotransplantation." "By the 2010s, concerns around PERVs were lessening, as multiple clinical trials of cell transplants suggested not only that pig cells could be effective in treating diabetes, but also that PERVs weren’t passing to humans."
Living Cell Technologies has received approval to advance to the next phase of its New Zealand phase II human clinical trial with Diabecell. ... The Diabecell trial uses encapsulated porcine islet cells from the company’s Auckland Island pig herd transplanted into type 1 diabetic patients with severe hypoglycaemic episodes.
"Research published in 2016 supports the clinical benefits of islet xenotransplantation with microencapsulation." "Early clinical trials using DIABECELL – Living Cell Technologies’ encapsulated pig islet product – in people with type 1 diabetes reported improved blood glucose control and reduced insulin requirements in some participants."
"A groundbreaking First-in-Human study to cure type 1 diabetes using porcine (pig) islet cells is undergoing Phase I/II clinical trials at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System in Chicago." "The procedure transplants encapsulated porcine (pig-derived) pancreatic islet cells into humans … The current trial (August 2025) … is evaluating the safety and efficacy of OPF-310 in 13 adult T1Ds."
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Debate
Two AI advocates debated this claim using the research gathered.
Argument for
Source 2 (Science) explicitly states that Living Cell Technologies' managing director confirmed eight patients with type 1 diabetes had undergone transplant of microencapsulated pig islets in trials conducted in New Zealand, with the pigs sourced from Auckland Island, and Source 21 (BioWorld) corroborates this precise figure, reporting that New Zealand's Minister of Health approved the addition of two patients to bring the total to eight in LCT's New Zealand phase II trial using encapsulated porcine islet cells. Further confirmation comes from Source 11 (UOWOA Journals) and Source 24 (Regenerative Medicine), which both explicitly identify the islet cells as derived from Auckland Island pigs and transplanted into type 1 diabetes patients in New Zealand clinical trials conducted by Living Cell Technologies.
The Proponent's argument relies on early, mid-trial snapshots from Source 2 and Source 21 while ignoring the final, completed trial data. In reality, the New Zealand clinical trial was expanded beyond eight patients, ultimately enrolling, treating, and evaluating a total of 14 patients as documented in Source 1 and Source 7.
Argument against
The claim that Living Cell Technologies conducted clinical trials in New Zealand with exactly eight patients is inaccurate, as the actual New Zealand dose-finding trial enrolled and treated a total of 14 patients (Source 1, Source 7). While early planning and initial cohorts mentioned smaller groups of six or eight patients (Source 3, Source 4, Source 21), the completed clinical trial ultimately expanded to evaluate 14 patients in its final safety and efficacy evaluations (Source 1, Source 7).
The Opponent commits a temporal fallacy by conflating the completed 14-patient dose-finding trial with the earlier phase of the trial in which eight patients had been treated — a distinction explicitly confirmed by Source 21 (BioWorld), which documents that the New Zealand Minister of Health approved the expansion to eight patients at a specific point in time, and by Source 2 (Science), in which LCT's managing director contemporaneously reported eight patients had undergone transplant. The claim does not assert that eight was the final total of all New Zealand trial participants across all phases; rather, it accurately reflects a documented stage of LCT's New Zealand clinical program, which Sources 2, 21, and 4 collectively confirm with precision.
Panel Review
3 specialized AI experts evaluated the evidence and arguments.
Reviewer 1 — The Logic Examiner
The evidence from Sources 2, 11, 21, and 24 logically demonstrates that Living Cell Technologies conducted clinical trials in New Zealand transplanting islet cells from Auckland Island pigs into patients with type 1 diabetes, with a documented phase of this trial specifically treating eight patients. The opponent's objection that the trial eventually expanded to 14 patients does not logically invalidate the truth of the claim that a trial was conducted in which eight patients received these transplants.
Reviewer 2 — The Source Auditor
The most reliable sources here are Source 1 (PubMed, peer-reviewed, high authority) and Source 7 (ASX quarterly report), both of which clearly state that the completed New Zealand dose-finding trial enrolled and treated 14 patients — not eight. Source 8 (ClinicalTrials.gov, high authority) also documents the New Zealand trial. Source 2 (Science, high authority) reports that LCT's managing director stated eight patients had undergone transplant as of a mid-trial snapshot (reported in July 2009/2010), and Source 21 (BioWorld) documents the Minister of Health approving expansion to eight patients at a specific point in time. The claim states eight patients were transplanted in New Zealand trials, which was true at an intermediate stage but not the final count. The completed trial treated 14 patients per the highest-authority peer-reviewed source (PubMed, Source 1) and the ASX filing (Source 7). The claim is partially accurate — LCT did conduct trials in New Zealand using Auckland Island pig islet cells in type 1 diabetes patients — but the specific number of eight patients is incorrect for the completed trial, representing only an intermediate enrollment figure. The core elements (LCT, New Zealand, Auckland Island pig islet cells, type 1 diabetes patients) are confirmed by multiple high-authority sources, but the patient count of eight is contradicted by the most authoritative final-trial data.
Reviewer 3 — The Precision Analyst
The claim's key quantitative wording is “transplanted into eight patients,” and multiple sources contemporaneous to an early stage of the New Zealand program report eight type 1 diabetes patients had undergone transplants (Source 2) and that an expansion brought the total to eight (Source 21), while other sources show the New Zealand trial later enrolled/treated 14 patients (Sources 1 and 7), meaning “eight” is not accurate as an unqualified description of the New Zealand clinical trials overall. Therefore, as worded without a time qualifier (e.g., “by mid-2010” or “in an early phase”), the claim is misleading and not true at its stated strength, even though it matches a documented interim stage and the Auckland Island pig sourcing is supported (Sources 2 and 24).