Estimating number and volume of islets transplanted within a planar immunobarrier diffusion chamber

Cell therapy involving the transplantation of cells or tissues with specific differentiated functions has potential in the treatment of human disease. However, the need for immunosuppressive drugs may lead to a variety of serious side effects. One approach to minimizing or eliminating systemic immunosuppression is immunoisolation, in which the transplanted tissue is enclosed in a semipermeable barrier or membrane in order to protect it from immune rejection, thereby creating what has been termed an implantable biohybrid artificial organ. Devices of this type are under study for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, for example, diabetes.