Cell 'invisibility cloaks' could offer side-effect-free diabetes treatment
Outfitting cells in "invisibility cloaks" may offer an easier, less damaging treatment pathway for people with diabetes undergoing cell therapy, according to researchers at Penn State.
Researchers at Penn State University have developed a new method to potentially revolutionize diabetes treatment using invisibility cloaks for cells. By creating a thin hydrogel layer, dubbed biomimetic zona pellucida (BZP), they were able to shield transplanted insulin-producing cells from the patient's immune system. This innovation could eliminate the need for patients to continuously take immunosuppressants, which often come with severe side effects like increased infection risk.
The BZP coating, inspired by the natural protective layer found on human egg cells, allows the transplanted cells to release insulin while remaining undetected by the immune system. In tests on diabetic mice, BZP-coated islets restored normal blood sugar levels within a week and maintained control for over 100 days without the need for immunosuppressants, compared to uncoated cells which typically only provide temporary relief.
This breakthrough, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, promises a longer-lasting, side-effect-free diabetes treatment and could have broader applications in biomedical engineering, including immunotherapy and regenerative medicine.
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