Islet Isolation Core
Learn how you can collaborate with the Islet Isolation Core in advancing diabetes research and care
About the Islet Isolation Core
The objective of the Islet Isolation Core is to provide isolated Islets of Langerhans from rats and mice for investigators. Thanks to years of experience, the Core can predictably provide islets that are high in quantity, quality and purity.
The Core can buy animals or the investigator can provide their own, such as when special transgenic mice are required. We also provide training and expert advice. The Core can provide training not only for the islet isolation procedure but for measurement of islet viability, islet size and equivalence (IEQ).
Moreover, the Core can provide advice about a wide variety of techniques including Glucose Stimulated Insulin Secretion (GSIS), streptozocin (STZ) induction of diabetes, transplantation of islets under the kidney capsule, and islet graft retrieval, and procurement and quality assessment of cadaveric human islets. The Core can also provide advice about culturing islets, determination of DNA and insulin content, and obtaining RNA for gene expression.
Beginning in spring 2027, services of the Islet Isolation Core will be provided through the Joslin Diabetes Research Center Animal Physiology Core. Transplantation of rodent or human islets under the renal capsule of recipient mice and islet graft retrieval will also be offered as a service.
Core Leadership & Scientific Oversight
The Islet Core is led by experienced investigators and supported by specialized staff with expertise in islet biology and diabetes research, providing scientific direction, operational oversight, and support for investigators using Core services.
Susan Bonner-Weir, PhD, Director, is an islet biologist whose work has advanced understanding of islet architecture, postnatal growth, and function. Her research has established that beta-cell mass is dynamic and can change with demand through replication, neogenesis, and cell death. Her studies have also contributed to understanding functional heterogeneity among beta-cells from immaturity to senescence.
Jennifer Hollister-Lock, Islet Specialist, has 35 years of experience isolating and studying islets at Joslin Diabetes Center. She brings expertise in working with small and large animal models as well as human islets, and has been instrumental in providing high-quality islets and islet expertise to Joslin researchers, as well as assisting investigators in the design and execution of islet studies to address key questions in the pathogenesis of diabetes.
Core Leadership
Services
The Core can isolate up to 12 rats in one isolation (or 8 if individually processed). Rats from late fetal age and up can be used. Any rat strain from Taconic or Charles River can be purchased. The average yield from an isolation of 12 rats is about 10,000 islets but will vary depending on age and strain of rat. Scheduling generally takes about 2 to 3 weeks (longer during periods of higher demand).
The Core can isolate up to 15 mice in one isolation (or 8 if individually processed). Mice from late fetal age and up can be used. Any mouse strain from Jackson, Taconic, or Charles River or your favorite transgenic mouse can be used for isolation. The islet yield from a mouse is usually between 150-300 islets per mouse, depending on age and strain.
The core offers training in:
- Islet isolation
- Islet viability testing (FDA/PI)
- Determining islet insulin and DNA content
Islet culture techniques
Islet transplantation under the kidney capsule - Graft retrieval for morphology and other determinations,
Glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in vitro and in vivo - Streptozotocin (STZ) diabetes induction
- Viral transduction of islets
Chargebacks
Islet Core Chargebacks
| Service | Rate |
|---|---|
| Islet Isolation: | $700/session for 1–15 mice or 1–12 rats |
Contact Us
For information regarding services and scheduling, email Jennifer Hollister-Lock.
