title: Microencapsulation of pancreatic islets for use in a bioartificial pancreas.
abstract: Islet transplantation is the most exciting treatment option for individuals afflicted with Type 1 diabetes. However, the severe shortage of human pancreas and the need to use risky immunosuppressive drugs to prevent transplant rejection remain two major obstacles for the routine use of islet transplantation in diabetic patients. Successful development of a bioartificial pancreas using the approach of microencapsulation with perm-selective coating of islets with biopolymers for graft immunoisolation holds tremendous promise for diabetic patients because it has great potential to overcome these two barriers. In this chapter, we provide a detailed description of the microencapsulation process.
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Emmanuel C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Opara
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: McQuilling
authors.forename: Alan C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Farney
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates; D001187:Artificial Organs; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004339:Drug Compounding / Q000379:methods*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D006801:Humans; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D001704:Biopolymers; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020723:Glucuronic Acid