Materials approaches for next-generation encapsulated cell therapies
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43579_2024_Article_678.pdf
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1.78 MB
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Checksum (MD5)
4b8b79fd89b7c6adf934d3b0521faa03
Author(s)
Krishnan, Siddharth R.
Langer, Robert
Anderson, Daniel G.
Date Issued
December 2, 2024
Journal
MRS Communications
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Citation
Krishnan, S.R., Langer, R. & Anderson, D.G. Materials approaches for next-generation encapsulated cell therapies. MRS Communications (2024).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Transplanted cells can act as living drug factories capable of secreting therapeutic proteins in vivo, with applications in the treatment of Type 1 diabetes (T1D), blood borne disease, vision disorders, and degenerative neural disease, potentially representing functional cures for chronic conditions. However, attack from the host immune system represents a major challenge, requiring chronic immunosuppression to enable long-lived cell transplantation in vivo. Encapsulating cells in engineered biomaterials capable of excluding components of the host immune system while allowing for the transport of therapeutic proteins, oxygen, nutrients, metabolites, and waste products represents a potential solution. However, the foreign-body response can lead to isolation from native vasculature and hypoxia leading to cell death. In this prospective article, we highlight materials-based solutions to three important challenges in the field: (i) improving biocompatibility and reducing fibrosis; (ii) enhancing transport of secreted protein drugs and key nutrients and oxygen via engineered, semipermeable membranes; and (iii) improving oxygenation. These efforts draw on several disciplines in materials’ research, including polymer science, surfaces, membranes, biomaterials’ microfabrication, and flexible electronics. If successful, these efforts could lead to new therapies for chronic disease and are a rich space for both fundamental materials’ discovery and applied translational science.
MIT Department
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Medical Engineering & Science
Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology
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Creative Commons Attribution
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-024-00678-6
