Implant reverses type 1 diabetes in mice by delivering beta cells

The cells in the implants continued to secrete insulin, control blood sugar, and reverse diabetes in the treated mice for up to 200 days with no drugs administered to suppress their immune systems.“The device, which is about the width of a few strands of hair, is microporous — with openings too small for other cells to squeeze into — so the insulin-secreting cells consequently can’t be destroyed by immune cells, which are larger than the openings,” said Dr. Millman.“With this device, we seem to have made something in what you might call a Goldilocks zone, where the cells could feel just right inside the device and remain healthy and functional, releasing insulin in response to blood sugar levels.”Co-researcher Dr. Minglin Ma added: “The combined structural, mechanical, and chemical properties of the device we used kept other cells in the mice from completely isolating the implant and, essentially, choking it off and making it ineffective.