Dian Respati Arifin1,2, Aravind Arepally1, Thomas W. Link2,3, Wesley D. Gilson1,4, Victor A. Ferrari5, Robert L. Wilensky5, Dara L. Kraitchman1, Jeff W.M. Bulte1,2
1Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; 2Cellular Imaging Section, Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; 3Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; 4Siemens Corporate Research, Inc., Baltimore, MD, USA; 5Cardiovascular Division, Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Transplantation of pancreatic cells is a promising treatment of type 1 diabetes. Pancreatic cells were immunoprotected inside novel alginate/protamine sulfate/alginate magnetocapsules. Magneto-encapsulated human pancreatic cells transplanted in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic swine were viable and functional for at least 14 days post-transplantation. The swine was vetsulin-independent and showed healthy blood glucose levels 2 days and one day post-transplantation, respectively. Magnetocapsules were clearly visualized as hypointensities in vivo using a 1.5T clinical MR-scanner. Magneto-encapsulated pancreatic cells show potential for treatment of type 1 diabetes in a large animal model, providing a means to non-invasively monitor cell transplantation in real-time using MR-imaging.
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