A major advance for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes has been the development of a procedure for transplanting islet cells, which are responsible for producing insulin, called the Edmonton Protocol. However, while this procedure has had success in treating diabetics, it is limited by several factors.
During this procedure many of the islet cells die due to their placement into a harsh environment, which is not ideal as the only current source of these cells are deceased donors, and their loss potentially results in the need for additional operations. The Edmonton Protocol is also very expensive (approximately $100,000), and patients must take immunosuppressant drugs indefinitely following the procedure.
To overcome these limitations, Sernova has developed a device that provides a natural environment for the islet cells, called a Cell PouchTM. Approximately the size of a matchbook, this device promotes the survival of the islet cells and is…
View original post 102 more words