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Updated: Feb 23, 2026
Surface Engineering of Pancreatic Islets with a Heparinized StarPEG Nanocoating
Published on: June 23, 2018
Advances in polymeric islet cell encapsulation technologies to limit the foreign body response and provide
Alan J Ryan1, Hugh S O'Neill2, Garry P Duffy3
1Tissue Engineering Research Group, Department of Anatomy, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland; Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research (AMBER) Centre, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Abstract:
Islet transplantation for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is hampered by the shortage of donor tissue and the need for life-long immunosuppression. The engineering of materials to limit host immune rejection opens the possibilities of utilising allogeneic and even xenogeneic cells without the need for systemic immunosuppression. Here we discuss the most recent developments in immunoisolation of transplanted cells using advanced polymeric biomaterials, utilising macroscale to nanoscale approaches, to limit aberrant immune responses.
