The present invention relates to compositions and methods of treating a
disease, such as diabetes, by implanting encapsulated biological material into a patient in need of treatment. This invention provides for the placement of
biocompatible coating materials around
biological materials using photopolymerization while maintaining the pre-encapsulation status of the
biological materials. Several methods are presented to accomplish
coating several different types of
biological materials. The coatings can be placed directly onto the surface of the biological materials or onto the surface of other
coating materials that hold the biological materials. The components of the
polymerization reactions that produce the coatings can include natural and synthetic polymers, macromers, accelerants, cocatalysts, photoinitiators, and
radiation. This invention also provides methods of utilizing these encapsulated biological materials to treat different human and animal diseases or disorders by implanting them into several areas in the body including the subcutaneous site. The
coating materials can be manipulated to provide different degrees of
biocompatibility,
protein diffusivity characteristics, strength, and biodegradability to optimize the delivery of biological materials from the encapsulated
implant to the host recipient while protecting the encapsulated biological materials from destruction by the host inflammatory and immune protective mechanisms without requiring long-term anti-inflammatory or anti-immune treatment of the host.