Seaweed capsules help preserve insulin-producing pancreatic cells.
Scientists have developed a capsule made from seaweed extract for preserving insulin producing pancreatic cells, offering hope to diabetics to lead a needle-free life.
Patients with type-1 diabetes require daily insulin injections. Pancreatic islet transplantation is an effective treatment that can dramatically reduce the daily jabs or even eliminate depending on external insulin researches said.
So far human islets can be transplanted and their supply is low. Cryopreservation is the common method used for the islet preservation and transportation. How ever the freezing process poses a challenge as the cells are cooled, water in and them around them freezes. Ice crystals has sharp edges that can pierce membranes and compromise cell viability. Researchers led by Amy Shen in Japan developed a cryopreservation method that helps to pancreatic islets from ice damage.
The technique employs a droplet microfluidic device to encapsulate pancreatic islets in hydrogel made of alginate, a natural polymer extracted from seaweed. These capsules have a unique microstructure- a porous network and considerable amount of non-freezable water, which does not form ice due to strong association between water molecules and hydrogel networks.
Islet encapsulation reduce the risk of rejection of transplanted cells by the recipient. The hydrogel capsule allows small molecules, like nutrients and islet secretions, to pass through the membrane, but prevents direct contact between implanted islets and host cells. Encapsulation also may prevent an attack on transplants by the auto immune response that destroyed the patient’s own islets in the first place.
Source-The Times of India
Source-The Times of India