{
  "id": 3759784,
  "title": "Encapsulated islet transplants restore blood sugar control in diabetic mice",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/encapsulated-islet-transplants-restore-blood-sugar-control-in",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-27T14:45:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Physics World",
    "slug": "physics-world",
    "url": "https://physicsworld.com/a/encapsulated-islet-transplants-restore-blood-sugar-control-in-diabetic-mice/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Islet transplantation, a potential treatment for type 1 diabetes, involves implanting insulin-producing islet cells from a donor into a patient’s liver. However, this approach requires patients to take immunosuppression drugs to prevent their bodies from rejecting the donated cells. Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University have developed a novel cell encapsulation method that could allow diabetic mice to maintain normal blood glucose levels for 100 days without needing these drugs.\n\nThe team created a thin, 20-µm hydrogel capsule that forms spontaneously on the surface of cells or cell clusters, effectively hiding them from the immune system. This biomimetic zona pellucida (BZP) encapsulation mimics the protective shield that hardens around a fertilized egg, providing a shield for the donor islets. Using this method, the researchers were able to transplant pancreatic islets into diabetic mice, restoring healthy blood sugar levels within seven days and keeping them diabetes-free for over 100 days without immunosuppression.\n\nCompared to traditional methods using much larger 1.5 mm capsules, the small BZP capsules significantly reduce the volume of transplanted material, improving the organ's ability to accommodate the necessary number of islets. The researchers also found that the chemically modified alginate used in the capsule synthesis significantly reduced the foreign body response in mice, suggesting a safer option compared to larger capsules.\n\nWhile the thin capsule approach has shown promising results in restoring blood sugar control, the researchers plan to conduct further studies using larger animals to fully assess the duration of resistance and potential side effects. This new method could potentially offer a safer alternative to current islet transplantation treatments that require long-term immunosuppression, which can increase the risk of infections and other health issues.",
  "summary": "A thin coating that hides transplanted donor cells from the body’s immune system could enable a novel therapy for type 1 diabetes The post Encapsulated islet transplants restore blood sugar control in diabetic mice appeared first on Physics World .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}