Penn State researchers develop hydrogel to protect islet transplants

Researchers at Penn State have developed a biomimetic hydrogel coating, named BZP, designed to protect transplanted pancreatic islets from the recipient's immune system. The 20-micrometer thick layer mimics the human egg shell (zona pellucida) to make living cells undetectable to immune responses.

In preclinical studies involving diabetic mice, the BZP-coated islets normalized blood glucose levels within one week. Most subjects remained diabetes-free for over 100 days without the need for immunosuppressive drugs, whereas uncoated islets failed within a week. This development addresses a major hurdle in islet transplantation, which currently requires patients to take lifelong immunosuppressants to prevent organ rejection.