Implantable Bio-Artificial Pancreas (iBAP)

University Of California, San Francisco, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Project Summary Approximately 3 million Americans and around 24 million people worldwide are affected by Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Glucose monitoring followed by insulin injection, allogeneic whole organ pancreas transplantation, and allogeneic islet transplantation are the most common treatments for T1D. These treatments can achieve glycemic control for many patients but result in serious complications. A bioartificial pancreas is a promising treatment for T1D because it contains functional islets. However, previous attempts to develop a bioartificial device have been severely limited by insufficient mass transfer and a limited supply of beta cells. Dr. Shuvo Roy (PI) has developed silicon nanopore membranes (SNM) to achieve high-efficiency blood ultrafiltration while selectively retaining specific solutes for the Bioartificial Kidney project and this project's successes are directly transferrable to the implantable bioartificial pancreas (the iBAP). The ultra-high hydraulic permeability characteristic of the SNM will enable appropriate mass transport (especially oxygen, glucose, and insulin) within to achieve optimal beta cell performance, while the ultra-selective pore characteristic of the SNM enable unprecedented immunoisolation. Also the iBAP will utilize a human embryonic stem cell derived fully functional beta cell that provides and unlimited supply of beta cells for iBAP development and clinical translation.