Protecting Beta Cells from the Immune System

A pancreatic beta cell. Image by Itkin-Ansari lab

 is caused by an overactive immune response that kills off insulin-producing beta cells. While beta cells can be transplanted to replace the ones that have been lost, the immune system will eventually kill those off as well.
For transplantation to be a viable treatment, the immune system must be controlled. Current transplant recipients take immunosuppressive drugs to prevent their  from attacking replacement presenting patients with a stark choice between diabetes and a suppressed immune system.
Sanford-Burnham adjunct assistant professor  is taking a different approach. Her laboratory has placed human pancreatic precursor cells in an immuno-protective device and transplanted them into mice. She was testing whether precursor cells will mature into productive beta cells in the body and whether the encapsulation device, made from a material akin to Gore-Tex, could prevent the immune system from attacking transplanted cells.