Biodegradable Polymer Islet Preservation Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for pancreatic islet transplantation in diabetes treatment face challenges such as low survival rates of islet cells, rejection issues, and inefficiencies in the hepatic microenvironment acceptance, leading to limited success and complications like hypoglycemia and vascular complications.
Innovation Solution
Administering tolerogenic cell antigen presenting cells and T regulatory cells, along with mesenchymal stem cells derived from various tissues, to enhance islet engraftment and reduce rejection, using specific markers and differentiation methods to optimize cell function and survival.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional polystyrene petri dishes or flasks are used for pancreatic islet preservation, then the islets can be stored, but the β-cells become deactivated or dead around 24 hours after separation due to low oxygen permeability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the preservation container from conventional polystyrene to a biodegradable polymer with high oxygen permeability. This parameter change allows sufficient oxygen supply to β-cells during preservation, maintaining cell viability for extended periods (beyond 24 hours) without deactivation or death.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses biodegradable polymer materials that combine appropriate mechanical properties with high oxygen permeability. These composite materials provide both the structural integrity needed for container functionality and the gas permeability required for cell survival, resolving the contradiction between preservation duration and cell viability.
2Use of energy by moving object
If a large amount of air is provided in polystyrene containers to compensate for low oxygen permeability, then oxygen supply is improved, but the container volume required increases and only a small amount of pancreatic islet suspension can be preserved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the oxygen permeability parameter of the container material itself, eliminating the need for large air volumes. The biodegradable polymer provides high oxygen permeability at the material level, allowing effective oxygen supply to islets in compact container volumes, thus resolving the contradiction between oxygen supply and container size.
3Ease of operation
If conventional polystyrene containers with lids or screw caps are used, then the containers are easy to open and close, but they have poor sealing performance allowing bacterial or viral contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs biodegradable polymer materials that can be molded into containers with integrated sealing structures. These materials provide both the ease of opening/closing operation and the sealing performance needed to prevent contamination, resolving the contradiction between operability and safety.
4Quantity of substance
If multiple petri dishes or flasks are used to preserve pancreatic islet from one pancreas, then sufficient preservation capacity is achieved, but the collection and injection process becomes time-consuming and carries repeated contamination risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple small preservation units into a single larger container with sufficient volume to hold the entire pancreatic islet suspension from one pancreas. This consolidation eliminates the need for repeated collection and injection operations across multiple containers, reducing both time loss and contamination risks while maintaining adequate preservation capacity.
5Device complexity
If islet transplantation is performed without immune modulation, then the procedure is simpler, but rejection episodes occur and graft viability is reduced to 20-30%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary immune modulation treatment before islet transplantation to suppress rejection responses in advance. By preparing the immune system beforehand through tolerogenic cell administration, the procedure achieves high graft survival rates (exceeding 90%) while the additional steps remain manageable, resolving the contradiction between procedural simplicity and graft reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are novel means of enhancing efficacy of pancreatic islet transplantation through administration of regenerative T cells concurrently with modification of the local microenvironment to provide a tolerogenic and angiogenic milieu. In one embodiment, the liver microenvironment is prepared for receipt of pancreatic islets by administration of tolerogenic cells antigen presenting cells, subsequently followed by administration of T cells and/or T regulatory cells conditioned by regenerative cells, and finally pancreatic islets are administered. In other embodiments devices are provided which allow for concurrent administration of pancreatic islets together with T cells and/or T regulatory cells that have been conditioned with regenerative cells. In another embodiment, the administration of T cells and/or T regulatory cells conditioned by regenerative cells is after administration of therapeutic pancreatic islets.