Physicians

Department / Division
Surgery / Abdominal Transplant

Address
DUMC 3512
Durham, NC 27710

Appointment Telephone
919-681-3855

Office Telephone
919-681-3855

Fax Telephone
919-684-8716

Training

• MD, Duke University School of Medicine, 1989

Residency

• General Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, 1989-1997

Fellowship

• Transplant Surgery, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, 1997-1999

Clinical Interests
Liver, pancreas, and kidney transplantation; general surgery in transplant patients; dialysis access surgery

Research Interests
(1) The laboratory's primary focus is the study of the feasibility of transplanting porcine islets into primates as a treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus. There is a severe shortage of human cadaveric pancreas donors for the 1 to 2 million type 1 diabetics in the United States. The use of human islets would further exacerbate the problem as 2 or 3 pancreases are required per recipient. In collaboration with Dr. Emmanuel Opara, an islet cell physiologist, we have purified islets from porcine pancreases, placed the islets in microcapsules, and transplanted the islets into diabetic baboons without the use of immunosuppression. Our goal is to demonstrated the utility of this system as a pre-clinical model.

(2) Recently, my laboratory has developed an interest in senescence of the liver. The project is a collaborative effort with hepatologist Dr. Don Rockey. We induce cirrhosis in young and old mice with carbon tetrachloride and then extract the intrahepatic lymphocytes. FACS technology is used to identified the lymphocyte populations and then sort them. The cytokine profile is then elucidated. We plan to use gene chip technology to assess the gene expression.

Industry Relationships and Collaborations (What's this?)

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has a working relationship (i.e. consulting, research, and/or educational services) with the companies listed below. These relations have been reported to the health system leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts.

• Carolina Donor Services
• Make A Wish of Eastern North Carolina
• Sebastian and Spaulding
• Union Baptist Church (Durham, NC)

Representative Publications
Couri, CJ; Maze, GI; Hinkson, DW; Collins, BH; Dawson, DV. Medical grade calcium sulfate hemihydrate versus expanded polytetrafluoroethylene in the treatment of mandibular class II furcations. Journal of Periodontology. 2002;73:1352-1359. (2002) Abstract

Ching, CD; Harland, RC; Collins, BH; Kendall, W; Hobbs, H; Opara, EC. A reliable method for isolation of viable porcine islet cells. Archives of Surgery. 2001;136:276-279. (2001) Abstract

Collins, BH. Porcine islets as an alternative to human islets for transplantation. Journal of Investigative Medicine. 2001;49:576-579. (2001) Abstract

Collins, BH; Horská, A; Hotten, PM; Riddoch, C; Collins, AR. Kiwifruit protects against oxidative DNA damage in human cells and in vitro. Nutrition and Cancer: an international journal. 2001;39:148-153. (2001) Abstract

Kendall, WF; Collins, BH; Opara, EC. Islet cell transplantation for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. 2001;1:109-119. (2001) Abstract