Metabolic & Secretory

Metabolic diseases constitute a major health problem worldwide. Insulin-dependent diabetes in particular affects more than four million people in the US with an overall annual cost estimated to exceed 80 billion dollars, and these figures are on the rise. Insulin injections provide some glycemic regulation which, however, relies and patient compliance and cannot prevent long-term complications. Cell and tissue-based therapies have the potential to generate treatment modalities that provide tight glycemic control, are accepted immunologically, and can be fabricated and delivered at a clinically relevant scale.

GTEC investigators are pursuing various approaches in developing fundamental knowledge and enabling technologies towards realizing such therapies.  Key advancements over the last decade include progress towards a dual system of engineered non-beta cells which, working together, reproduce the beta cell secretory response; the modification of the islet surface to improve their immune acceptance and engraftment; the development of cellular encapsulants with enhanced stability and immunoprotection; the design and implementation of ice-free cryopreservation methods for encapsulated cells; the significant prolongation of the in vivo survival and function of allo- and xenogeneic islets by encapsulation and co-stimulatory blockade; and the development of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy methods for the non-invasive monitoring of tissue constructs in vitro and in vivo. Current efforts continue and expand on these projects, and additionally pursue the development of novel implantation methods for insulin-secreting cells; and of bioreactors for the maintenance and functional maturation of islets, as well as for the characterization of free and encapsulated islets especially post-explantation from animals.