A recent study shows real promise towards a bioartificial pancreas.
This story is part one in anoccasionalseries on the currentprogression in Regenerative Medicine. In 1999, I definedregenerative medicine as thecollection of interventions that restore tonormal function tissues and organs that have beendamaged by disease, injured by trauma, or worn by time. Iinclude a full spectrum ofchemical, gene and protein-based medicines, cell-based therapies, and biomechanicalinterventionsthatachieve that goal.
A recent study shows real promise towards needle-free management of type 1 diabetes. In July, a research team at Brigham and Womens Hospital together with scientists from Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts described the design of an artificial pancreas for children and adults with type 1 diabetes. The device successfully passed many of the tests required for first trials in patients.
As of 2014, over38 million peopleworldwide have type 1 diabetes and the prevalence of this disease seems to be on the rise. Once patients receive a diagnosis, they must follow highly regimented diets, closely monitor their blood sugar levels, and take daily insulin injections. Although these methods have improved the lives of those with type 1 diabetes, there is still a need for a more natural solution for sensing and producing insulin.
So, how can this device help? The artificial pancreas is a small, implantable device that automatically produces insulin according to the bodys needs. The device consists of a chamber that houses live insulin-producing islet cells.The walls of the chamber protect the islet cells from the bodys immune system. The novel feature of the device is a built-in pump that circulates nutrients and oxygen to the chamber cells so they can thrive and continue to produce insulin.
This new device is designed to address the primary issue of ensuring that cells receive necessary oxygen and nutrients. Previous encapsulation devices relied on diffusion alone to transport nutrients to cells. However, the rate of diffusion proved insufficient to provide cells with enough necessary oxygen, leaving most of the cells dead. Researchers believe that a pump that actively circulates both nutrients and oxygen through the device will address this issue.
The research team tested their theory by first designing a prototype. The prototype consists of two chambers connected by a tube. The first chamber collects a supply of nutrients including oxygen and glucose. This chamber has a membrane with larger pores to allow for more nutrients to pass through. Directly following this chamber is a second compartment that contains the beta cells. The second compartment is surrounded by two membranes that have smaller pores. The smaller pores filter out cells and antibodies that could kill the sensitive beta cells.
Labeled image of device
A tiny pump manages the flow of liquid to the chambers. In the first chamber, nutrients collected diffuse into the tube and are pushed along to the second compartment. The flow of nutrients causes high pressure and high nutrient concentration within the tube. This contrasts with the low pressure, low concentration environment of the second chamber. Because of the difference in pressure and concentration, necessary nutrients and oxygen reach the cells.
Convection vs. Diffusion Design
The first test was to determine whether cells could survive in the device. The team began their experimentation with insulin-producing MIN6 cells. The test compared active flow cells to those with passive diffusion. The active flow cells survived at a much higher rate and produced insulin more readily in the presence of glucose than cells with passive diffusion.
Having overcome the first hurdle, the team moved on to a cell that was more similar to the cells that may actually be used in humansstem-cell-derived beta cells (SC-Cs). These cells are insulin-producing cells derived by Professor Douglas Merton from Harvard University. The SC-Cs with flow survived at higher rates in the prototype and continued to produce insulin, while cells without flow did not.
After additional experiments were conducted to determine the maximum number ofSC-Csthat could be housed by the device, the team was ready to begin testing the devices in live rats. Scientists surgically implanted the device under the rats skin. They modified the device with a tube that ran from the rat to an external pump. Researchers used the pump to accurately infuse certain glucose levels into the animals.
Rat experimentation set-up.
Trials of the active flow device in rats with diabetes were highly successful at maintaining the viability and insulin secretion activity of SC-Cs compared to rats with diffusion devices and rats with no devices. Cells could also accurately respond to large glucose fluctuations in the live animal.
Not only this, but the larger pores in the first chambers membrane promoted the growth of new blood cells. This means that the device has the potential to be implanted in larger, less vascularized areas which would require less invasive surgeries. If blood vessels can successfully grow around the device, then cells would also have easier access to nutrients.
Further research must be conducted to determine the optimal dimensions of the device in live animals. More experimentation must also occur before the device can be available for humans. However, this publication signals an optimistic future for the decade's old dream of allowing people with diabetes to control blood sugar levels without the need for insulin supplements.
Read this article:
Is An Artificial Pancreas On The Way? - Forbes
- Biology of stem cells: an overview - PMC - National Center for ... - March 26th, 2024
- Iron Limitation Preserves Youthfulness of Blood Stem Cells - Mirage News - March 13th, 2024
- Mini organs grown from stem cells of unborn babies for the first time in breakthrough - The Mirror - March 9th, 2024
- The Effect of Short-Term NAD3 Supplementation on Circulating Adult Stem Cells in Healthy Individuals Aged 40-70 ... - Cureus - March 7th, 2024
- University of Liverpool Spin-Out Emerges, Pioneering Novel Adult Stem Cell-Based Therapies - India Education Diary - March 7th, 2024
- Scientists have used cells from fluid drawn during pregnancy to grow mini lungs and other organs - Yahoo News Canada - March 6th, 2024
- Japan approves new stem cell-based Alzheimer's therapy By Proactive Investors - Investing.com Australia - January 20th, 2024
- Cyberstalking pits Harvard professor against PubPeer Retraction ... - Retraction Watch - December 5th, 2023
- 10 functional health predictions for 2024, according to a doctor and ... - 1330 WFIN - December 5th, 2023
- See the Brain Like Never Before in This Gorgeous Art - Scientific American - December 5th, 2023
- Geron Announces Publication in The Lancet of Results from the ... - BioSpace - December 5th, 2023
- Stem cell injections could be the key to curing MS - Freethink - December 3rd, 2023
- Jaypirca (pirtobrutinib) Now Approved by U.S. FDA for the ... - Investors | Eli Lilly and Company - December 3rd, 2023
- Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Four JAK Inhibitors for ... - HealthDay - December 3rd, 2023
- City lights up for Francis on Anthony Nolan's birthday - Liverpool Express - December 3rd, 2023
- NOT-AR-23-022: Request for Information on Themes for the NIAMS ... - National Institutes of Health (.gov) - December 3rd, 2023
- December 2023: Intramural Papers of the Month - Environmental Factor Newsletter - December 1st, 2023
- CNA Explains: What is cord blood banking and why do parents do it? - CNA - December 1st, 2023
- Regulation of myogenesis and adipogenesis by the electromagnetic ... - Nature.com - December 1st, 2023
- The effects of vitamin K on bone health - News-Medical.Net - December 1st, 2023
- Dr Hurwitz on Ongoing Investigations of the Use of CAR T-Cell ... - OncLive - December 1st, 2023
- Mitophagy in human health, ageing and disease - Nature.com - December 1st, 2023
- Adult Stem Cells - Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine ... - November 29th, 2023
- Navigating The Regulatory Landscape Of Longevity Health Products ... - Mondaq News Alerts - November 29th, 2023
- MS breakthrough could lead to treatments that halt disease's ... - inews - November 29th, 2023
- Reprogramming tissue mechanically to promote wound healing - Phys.org - November 29th, 2023
- Latest Advances in Arthritis Diagnosis and Treatment at American ... - HealthDay - November 29th, 2023
- Sex-associated differences in frequencies and prognostic impact of ... - Nature.com - November 29th, 2023
- Hematologists Dive into the Current Treatment Landscape - OncLive - November 29th, 2023
- Team discovers protein crucial for B cell differentiation and antibodies - Phys.org - November 29th, 2023
- Science Talk - I survived cancer as a child and now I'm working to ... - The Institute of Cancer Research - November 29th, 2023
- First Edition: Nov. 29, 2023 - KFF Health News - November 29th, 2023
- Symptoms: Unilateral Hearing Loss and Tinnitus : The Hearing Journal - LWW Journals - November 29th, 2023
- Mitigation of sepsis-induced acute lung injury by BMSCs | IJN - Dove Medical Press - November 29th, 2023
- A Case of a Constricted Vessel: The Impact of Acute Myeloid ... - Cureus - November 29th, 2023
- Mum brushed off fatigue after having baby but fall sparked deadly diagnosis - The Mirror - November 29th, 2023
- How heritable is the epigenome? - Drug Discovery News - November 29th, 2023
- The Blueprint of Regeneration: Scientists Discover How to Turn Stem Cells Fate - Revyuh - November 27th, 2023
- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Announces In-Person Meeting with ... - Marketscreener.com - November 27th, 2023
- Stem Cell Therapy Developed in Korea Begins Treatment for ... - PharmiWeb.com - November 25th, 2023
- COVID-19 Pandemic's Adverse Effect on Bone Health in Young ... - HealthDay - November 25th, 2023
- Sickle cell breakthrough - The Indian Express - November 25th, 2023
- Wall thickness analysis method for judging the degree of lower ... - Nature.com - November 25th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics to Present at the Piper Sandler 35th Annual Healthcare Conference - Yahoo Finance - November 23rd, 2023
- Disease Transmission and Diagnosis of Zika Virus - Cureus - November 23rd, 2023
- Gene-editing therapy for sickle cell earns conditional approval in UK - Sickle Cell Disease News - November 23rd, 2023
- Stem Cell Therapy Developed in Korea Begins Treatment for ... - Newswire - November 21st, 2023
- Efficacy of ADSC-CM in Patients with Telogen Effluvium | SCCAA - Dove Medical Press - November 21st, 2023
- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Announces In-Person Meeting with ... - PR Newswire - November 21st, 2023
- The Impact of CAR T Cell Therapy on Managing R/R LBCL - OncLive - November 21st, 2023
- Mansour bin Zayed witnesses inauguration of ADSCC Bone Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy Congress 2023 - ZAWYA - November 21st, 2023
- Listeria: Who is most susceptible? What are the Symptoms? What ... - Food Poison Journal - November 21st, 2023
- Scope Of Issued Patents May Be Limited By Prosecution Estoppel ... - Mondaq News Alerts - November 21st, 2023
- Qrons Announces the Addition of Professor Shiri Navon-Venezia to ... - StreetInsider.com - November 21st, 2023
- Financially strapped Athersys raises $10.4M - cleveland.com - November 19th, 2023
- From the India Today archives (2010) | How stem cells can save your life - India Today - November 19th, 2023
- Inactivation of the tumor suppressor gene Apc synergizes with H ... - Science - November 19th, 2023
- The Origins of Multiple Myeloma and Why it Matters - HealthTree For AML - Acute Myeloid Leukemia - November 19th, 2023
- Treatment Considerations With TROP2-Targeted Therapy - OncLive - November 19th, 2023
- Athersys narrows loss, raises $10.4 million during third quarter to ... - The Business Journals - November 17th, 2023
- Who was Dolly the Sheep and what happened to her? The story of ... - BBC Countryfile Magazine - November 17th, 2023
- UK first to approve CRISPR treatment for diseases: what you need to ... - Nature.com - November 17th, 2023
- 1st sickle cell patient to be given therapy restoring fetal hemoglobin - Sickle Cell Disease News - November 15th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results and Provides Business Updates - Century - Benzinga - November 13th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics Appoints Brent Pfeiffenberger, Pharm.D., MBA, as Chief Executive Officer - Yahoo Finance - November 11th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics and FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics Announce Licenses for the Development and Commercialization of iPSC-Derived Cell Therapies in... - November 11th, 2023
- AAO 2023: Paul Runge and his ROP treatments in the Ukraine - Modern Retina - November 11th, 2023
- The Evolutionary Reasons We Are Drawn To Horror Movies and ... - Slashdot - November 11th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results ... - GlobeNewswire - November 11th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results ... - StreetInsider.com - November 9th, 2023
- NYU Langone Health Performs World's First Whole-Eye & Partial ... - NYU Langone Health - November 9th, 2023
- BrainStorm to Announce Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results and ... - BioSpace - November 9th, 2023
- Can we cut cost and pain of IVF? Start-up CEO tries out own ... - Genetic Literacy Project - November 9th, 2023
- Jasper Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results ... - BioSpace - November 9th, 2023
- Impaired neural stress resistance and loss of REST in bipolar ... - Nature.com - November 9th, 2023
- Functional genomics and systems biology in human neuroscience - Nature.com - November 9th, 2023
- Trial launched to test CAR T-cell therapy in dogs diagnosed with ... - EurekAlert - November 9th, 2023
- The-Gut's-Lasting-Impact-on-Severe-COVID-19-Immune-Response - Infectious Disease Special Edition - November 9th, 2023
- Emerging Cure for Sickle Cell on its Way to FDA Approval, Carries ... - Dallasweekly - November 7th, 2023
- The science works, but will we pay for it? - Irish Medical Times - November 7th, 2023
Recent Comments