Tissue Engineering of a Bioartificial Pancreas: Modeling the Cell Environment and Device Function

Cell-based implantable artificial tissues are most promising for the long-term treatment of endocrine diseases, such as diabetes. One type of a bioartificial pancreas device consists of calcium alginate microbeads containing insulin-secreting cells and is surrounded by a poly(L-lysine) (PLL) membrane. The membrane is semipermeable, allowing cellular nutrients and metabolites to diffuse through but excluding the antibodies and cytotoxic cells of...