Initiated and funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), CITR was founded in September 2001. The Registry is coordinated by The Emmes Corporation of Rockville, Maryland, with Dr. Bernhard Hering of the University of Minnesota as the Medical Director.
The CITR Executive Committee is composed of Dr. Thomas Eggerman (NIDDK), Dr. Guillermo Arreaza-Rubin (NIDDK), Franca Benedicty Barton (EMMES), Dr. Bernhard Hering (University of Minnesota), Dr. Michael Rickels (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Melena Bellin (University of Minnesota), and Dr. Rodolfo Alejandro (University of Miami).
Islet/beta cell transplantation is a complex procedure with many factors contributing to the outcome. Compiling and analyzing data from all transplant centers in the US, Canada, as well as some European, Australian, and Asian centers will accelerate the identification of both critical risk factors and key determinants of success and thereby guide transplant centers in developing and refining islet/beta cell transplant protocols.
Islet/beta cell transplantation has become a rapidly developing field, making it difficult for non-experts to stay abreast of the most recent information. Data communicated by CITR will assist people with diabetes, health care professionals, payers and providers, professional societies, funding agencies, and governmental institutions in making decisions regarding islet/beta cell transplantation.
The inclusion of the term “collaborative” in the name of the Registry emphasizes the importance of collaboration in fulfilling the CITR mission and goals. Close collaboration with the transplant centers will ensure that relevant questions are addressed, that data submitted are accurate and complete, and that the needs of the transplant community are served. Collaboration with other initiatives, programs, and networks of the National Institutes of Health (e.g., the Human Pancreatic Islet Cell Resource (HPICR), the Immune Tolerance Network (ITN), and the Clinical Islet Transplant Consortium (CIT)), and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRFI), will be instrumental in utilizing established infrastructures and in facilitating ancillary studies. Collaboration with the diabetes care community, the health insurance industry, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly known as Health Care Finance Administration - HCFA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will ensure that the outcome measures used by CITR are appropriate, standardized, and relevant. Collaboration with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and the Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR) will avoid duplication of efforts with respect to the collection of donor and recipient information. Finally, collaboration with the International Islet Transplant Registry (ITR) in Giessen, Germany, will ensure that the worldwide status of islet/beta cell transplantation is regularly updated.
