Posted by JoeF on February 26, 1999 at 00:09:36:
In Reply to: Re: Bio-artificial pancreas posted by Robin Harrison on February 24, 1999 at 13:00:59:
I called Dr. Lewis today at the department of Chemical Engineering at Oklahoma State University. To find out what his work was. He plans lab work and math modeling of encapsulated islets to look at the problem of islet cell death. He stated although encapsulated islet transplants have been successful in animals for longer periods they have not generally been successful for over a year in humans. He plans on investigating the effect of different immune system molecules on the cell death of encapsulated islets in the lab. He encapsulates islets in his own lab. (Apparently the technology/procedure is public domain, he mentioned this has been done at Georgia Tech.) The standard porosity cut off is 60,000 molecular weight for his capsules. (Insulin is 5,800). This seams large to me. He will expose encapsulated islets to concentrations of NO, Super oxide, I1 Beta, T.N.F., etc. and measure the depletion of these component outside the islet capsule to determine capsule penetration. He must also measure the cell response/death somehow, but I didn't ask. His program is just starting and is expected to last for 2 years. He has a publication coming out in about 2 months on previous related work. If his work identifies which molecule(s) penetrates and causes loss of islet cells I didn't ask what the next step was. He plans on developing a computer model of the molecular diffusion through the capsule.