The invention relates to methods for promoting maturation of islet cells from pre-weaned mammals for the purpose of optimizing the islets for their use as donor tissue for xenotransplantation. The method of the invention removes the pancreas from donor animals and reduces the pancreas tissue to fragments that are greater than the size of an intact islet while retaining islets in their whole, insulin-producing condition. The method of the invention also serially cultures the digested tissue in novel maturation media that enhance the glucose responsiveness of the cultured islets, and selects islets that are sufficiently glucose-responsive for use in transplantation procedures.
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