Initiated and funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), CITR was founded in September 2001.

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.

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, organizations, and networks 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, 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.

Citr Goals

• Collect and compile data on all islet/beta cell transplants in human recipients performed globally

• Communicate comprehensive and current information on islet/beta cell transplantation to:

  • Transplant institutions

  • The diabetes and general health care community

  • The interested general public via the CITR web site (http://www.citregistry.org), publications, and presentations

• Develop and implement standards for reporting islet/beta cell transplants and their outcome.

• Increase the safety of islet/beta cell transplantation by distributing the pertinent information of submitted serious adverse event reports to all participating clinical centers electronically in a timely fashion.

• Perform scientific analysis on islet/beta cell transplant data, with particular emphasis on:

  • Safety of islet/beta cell transplant product and procedure and protocol-regulated treatment products

  • Number of islet/beta cell transplants and retransplants performed, categorized by:

    • Transplant institution

    • Donor tissue source and handling

    • Recipient category

    • Transplant technique and site§  Recipient treatment protocols

  • Efficacy of islet/beta cell transplants as defined by standardized outcome measures and as determined by:

    • Donor factors

    • Recipient demographics

    • Donor-recipient matching

    • Islet/beta cell processing and product characteristics

    • Transplant technique and site

    • Recipient treatment

    • Post-transplant events

• Stimulate prospective and retrospective studies on emerging issues of importance.