Novel biomaterial holds potential to help more diabetes patients achieve insulin independence

Islet-cell transplant is one of the most promising interventions for type 1 diabetes—but it poses complex challenges. Chief among them is that of keeping the oxygen-hungry cells alive immediately after transplant, before they have a functioning vascular network.

Pioneered by Camillo Ricordi, professor of medicine and surgery and the director of the DRI, islet-cell transplant gives patients the ability to produce their own insulin and achieve insulin independence, but only for a time. Donor islet cells are usually transplanted in the blood vessels of the liver, where their direct access to blood keeps them oxygenated and they begin producing insulin quickly. However, their presence also triggers a strong inflammatory response—killing more than half of the islets in the first week and limiting the treatment’s long-term effectiveness.

Searching for ways to improve islet survival, scientists have tried for years to bioengineer an alternative site for islet transplantation, but could not overcome the challenge of inadequate oxygen—until now.

Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) scientists led by Cherie Stabler, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and surgery and director of the DRI’s Tissue Engineering Program, have developed a revolutionary material that can help provide critical oxygen to insulin-producing cells after transplantation, enhancing their long-term survival. Such leading-edge studies at the DRI have received major support during Momentum2, thanks to a leadership gift of $100 million from the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

As reported online in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the material, PDMS-CaO2, has the capacity to spontaneously generate oxygen when exposed to water, creating a nutrient-rich environment with sustained oxygen supplementation for more than six weeks. They also showed that the unique biomaterial system, for which they have a pending patent, allows the duration and amount of oxygen generated to be controlled and monitored—not possible when they are transplanted to the liver.

“We have been working to create an optimal environment, akin to a mini-organ, for housing transplanted islets, and this study represents a significant step toward that goal,” Stabler said. “This is critical, because islets are the super-athletes of the cell world: They require large amounts of oxygen to survive and function.

“We are very encouraged by the outcome of this study and its implications toward our goal of translating these findings to the millions of people living with diabetes.”

Read the entire news release here.