Bioartificial Pancreas: In the Road to Clinical Application

Abstract

With the increasing incidence of diabetes, it is urgent to develop a reliable and safe source of insulin production. Conventional transplantation of pancreatic tissue has been demonstrated to be an efficacious method of restoring glycaemic control in type 1 diabetes. However, the lack of donors, the use of immunosuppressants and the early “-cell failure limit the use of this approach. Regenerative medicine has focused on the design and application of bioartificial pancreas to treat this disease. Islet microencapsulation technique enables the trans-plantation in the absence of immunosuppression by protecting the cells through an immunoisolative membrane. This membrane should be able to protect transplanted allo- and xenogenic cells from the host, while facilitating adequate transport of oxygen, nutrients, and secreted hormones. Although many different materials and immunoisolation devices build-up processes have been studied, their viability in in vivo applications has been compromised.With clarification of all obstacles to the clinical application, new strategies will be developed that would increase the islet performance after transplantation.