Three members of the same family have benefited from a crucial pancreatitis transplant surgery – a procedure made possible thanks to long-term support by Kidney Transplant & Diabetes Research Australia and The Hospital Research Foundation Group.
Sixteen-year-old Demi Holloway (middle above) is the latest of the Holloway siblings to undergo the life-changing procedure at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, after sister Chelsea (left, now 25) received a transplant in 2017 and brother Joel (right, 22) was transplanted in 2022 at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
They are among a handful of young patients who have undergone the rare and specialist procedure, with 11 completed in the last nine years, delivering life-changing relief to South Australia’s youngest patients.
The Women’s and Children’s Hospital is currently one of only two hospitals in Australia performing the Total Pancreatectomy Islet Auto Transplant on children.
Total Pancreatectomy and Islet Auto Transplant procedures have been performed in South Australia since 2015, helping to treat hereditary pancreatitis, a painful condition that often impacts multiple family members.
The disease is 70 times more common amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander South Australians. Patients experience recurring attacks of severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting – often requiring strong opiate relief.
Many children living with the condition are forced to spend prolonged periods of time in hospital, missing out on school, sporting activities and important life events.
The innovative procedure reduces pain for patients, while also helping to prevent diabetes and the development of pancreatic cancer in the future.
It involves removing the pancreas and flying it to Melbourne, where clinicians isolate and extract the vital insulin producing islet cells. The cells are then returned to Adelaide, where they are infused back into the patient’s liver.
Chelsea (right) with Professor Toby Coates at the new Biospherix Chamber
Treatment is set to become more localised, with a $1.4 million South Australian Biospherix Chamber expected to begin operating this year. Purchased in 2021 thanks to a grant from The Hospital Research Foundation Group, the chamber is in the final stages of clinical grade assessment and is already conducting regular research into islet isolations.
The new technology will allow islet cells to be extracted in Adelaide, removing the need for interstate travel.
The Women’s and Children’s hospital has performed six TP-IAT procedures this year, with the aim of growing the service and treating patients from both Australia and overseas.
The operation is a partnership between the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the Royal Adelaide Hospital, The Hospital Research Foundation Group, and is made possible through a $2.02 million grant provided by Medical Research Future Fund.
Women’s and Children’s Hospital’s Senior Visiting Medical Specialist in Paediatric Surgery, Sanjeev Khurana, said hereditary pancreatitis was an extremely painful condition that severely impacts young people’s quality of life.
“We’re so proud to be leading the way in Australia with a mature service that allows sufferers to live a full life once again.
“Our hope is to treat many more children in the future, and to learn more about this incredibly severe and unrelenting disease.”
Chelsea said the procedure has been nothing short of life-changing.
“Before receiving the treatment, I was constantly in hospital, for weeks at a time.
“I’m so relieved that this procedure was made available in Adelaide, helping not only me, but my brother and sister as well.
“As a mum with a daughter who is a carrier of the hereditary pancreatitis gene, I feel safe knowing this treatment is there for her should she need it.”
