Keep on rolling: optimizing human islet transport conditions using a perfused rotary system.

Area of Science:

• Transplantation research
• Biomedical engineering
• Cell biology

Background:

• Establishing Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliant islet isolation facilities is complex and costly.
• Inter-institutional islet transplantation necessitates reliable methods for transporting isolated islets.
• Current human islet transport solutions lack standardization and optimal cell preservation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel rotary transport system for human islets, termed ROTi.
• To assess the impact of the ROTi device on islet cell viability and stress during simulated transport.
• To compare the efficacy of ROTi against standard islet shipment methods.

Main Methods:

• Human islets were transported using the ROTi device and a simulated standard shipment method (50 ml tubes).
• Metabolic (LDH, lactate, glucose) and physical (pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature) parameters were monitored.
• Live cell imaging with confocal microscopy and five specific live stains assessed mitochondrial potential, calcium levels, apoptosis, cell death, and morphology.

Main Results:

• The ROTi device demonstrated significantly better preservation of human islet cell viability compared to standard shipment.
• Key viability parameters including mitochondrial membrane potential, calcium content, apoptosis, and cell morphology were improved with ROTi.
• ROTi facilitated reproducible transport conditions, minimizing cell stress.

Conclusions:

• The ROTi system represents a superior method for transporting human islets, enhancing cell viability and reducing stress.
• This device offers a more reproducible and effective solution for the critical step of islet transport in transplantation.
• ROTi has the potential to improve outcomes in islet transplantation by ensuring higher quality donor islets.