2023-10-19 10:18:05
Swedish researchers have developed a micro-device intended to be implanted in the eye, which might open “ new perspectives for treating diabetes and other diseases with cell therapies ».
Intended to encapsulate insulin-producing pancreatic cells and electronic sensors, the 3D printed device was developed by a team from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the Karolinska Institutet. The researchers published the results of their work in the journal Advanced Materials [1].
“The eye is ideal for this technology”
Anna Herland, lecturer at KTH and the Karolinska Institutetexplain that ” the eye is ideal for this technology because it does not contain negatively reacting immune cells during the first stage of implantation “. Furthermore, ” its transparency allows a visual and microscopic study of the evolution of the implant over time ». « The eye is our only window on the body, and it is privileged in immune terms », summarizes the scientist.
The device is designed as “ a wedge regarding 240 micrometers long “, which allows the structure to be mechanically fixed at the angle between the iris and the cornea, in the anterior chamber of the eye.
Tested on the mouse, the device retained its position “ For many months “, and the ” mini organs » that it contained were “ rapidly integrated into the blood vessels of the host animal and functioned normally ».
Towards a treatment of diabetes?
« The current system is unique and will constitute, among other things, the basis of our work aimed at developing an integrated microsystem to study the function and survival of islets of Langerhans [2] in the anterior chamber of the eye “, explains Per-Olof Berggren, professor of experimental endocrinology at Karolinska Institutet. « Transplantation of islets of Langerhans into the anterior chamber of the human eye is undergoing clinical trials in patients with diabetes “, he specifies.
This is a “ first step toward advanced medical microdevices that can both locate and monitor the function of cell grafts “, says Anna Herland. “ Our design will allow the integration and use of more advanced functions in the future, such as integrated electronics or drug release ».
[1] Hanie Kavand et al, 3D‐Printed Biohybrid Microstructures Enable Transplantation and Vascularization of Microtissues in the Anterior Chamber of the Eye, Advanced Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202306686
[2] pancreatic islets
Source : Medical Xpress, KTH Royal Institute of Technology (18/10/2023)
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