To the Editor: There is a serious lack of information for all involved in type 1 diabetes treatment and research: what is happening in the insulin-producing cells and local environment as the disease evolves? Type 1 diabetes is a serious disease [1], but despite extensive research, the causes are still unknown.

The location of the pancreas in close proximity to vital organs is an obvious reason why studies of pancreatic tissue from patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes have rarely been undertaken. With improved laparoscopic surgical techniques, the risks associated with a laparoscopic pancreatic tail resection have decreased. Within our team, surgeons have developed considerable expertise in this technique [2], expecting a very low frequency of complications after limited tail resections in otherwise healthy young diabetic patients. Previously, studies have been carried out using punching to collect small samples of pancreatic tissue from recent-onset type 1 diabetic patients [3]. The Diabetes Virus Detection study (DiViD) is the first study to collect larger samples of pancreatic tissue by pancreatic tail resection from live adult patients newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This letter describes some clinical experiences and difficult ethical issues arising during the study.