Studying Eyelet Transplantation in Eyeballs
Lots of organizations are working on new ways to accomplish eyelet cell transplantation in which the immune system does not kill off the transplanted cells If they could do that, wed likely have a cure for diabetes But it aint easy, especially because were talking about transplanting into people whose immune systems are in mega-attack mode to begin with type 1 diabetics
The Diabetes Research Institute DRI in Florida is currently working on this challenge in an especially intriguing way Borrowing a concept called stealth tolerance from cancer research, theyve looked at areas in the body where the immune system seems to be less aggressive, ie an immune safe area One of those happens to be male genetalia ewww — dismissed! The other happens to be inside the eye The stealth approach does away with the need for the cocktail of immuno-suppressants thats usually required, and that causes the patients body so much trouble
The DRIs researchers are using the anterior chamber of the eye as a spot to implant eyelet cells, derived from adult stem cells So far theyve found the transplants do indeed reduce the amount of insulin needed in animals Of course they still need to encapsulate these cells to protect them when implanted
Encapsulation is not new, but the coating was too thick in the past, DRI Chief Operating Officer, Dr Mitra Zehtab, explained at a recent research update held at a private home in Northern California just a few miles from my house! Weve developed new ultra-thin material for encapsulation — its miniscule thinness — that coats the islets to protect them It works like slow release capsules
Dr Zehtab further explained that researchers are trying to put these coated capsules into small biohybrid devices like a tiny mesh cylinder that houses and protects transplanted cells See our previous coverage of these reverse IUD devices here
Because the eye affords a new, clear way to directly view and monitor how transplanted insulin-producing cells function after theyre infused into a patient, the approach is called the Living Window DRI researcher Per-Olof Berggren also presented about progress on it at the ADA Conference last week The DRI is studying all of this using non-human primates now yes, monkeys — dont be upset, they tell me, its very common in research!
As exciting as this research is, dont expect to offer up your own human eyes for this sort of transplant any time soon Although Dr Zehtab assured the parents at the private CA event that the eye is not compromised in this research, she did admit that you cant ask the monkey how well he sees
Dr Jay Skyler, commenting on this research at ADA, simply stated: This is a research model — a way to monitor the acceptance of cells It wont be used in humans because we cant assure that people wont go blind
DRI researchers disagree Lead scientist Dr Midhat Abdulreda stated in a recent interview: We believe the eye may one day be used to deliver local and minimal immunosuppression, through either eye drops or implantable slow-release anti-rejection drugs This will help prevent or minimize devastating systemic side effects associated with the chronic use of such drugs More importantly, we think the eye could also play a role in the development of transplant immune tolerance
But at the moment, it doesnt matter, because using the eye as a Living Window in primates is such a boon for research It offers such an extraordinary opportunity to view biological processes in real time, Dr Abdulreda says
Check out this video of him talking about his work
A bit more about DRI
Dr Zehtab explained how her institution works Thought you all might like to know:
DRI is a hybrid institution, meaning its affiliated with a university medical school University of Miami, and another portion of their work is parent-funded through various donations
They currently have 140 employees, all working on biological replacement strategies, defined as putting living cells back in DRI has recently hired two new biomedical engineers — one funded through ChildrenwithDiabetes and one through the DRI itself
The NIH has recently raised the payline so less federal funding is available for type 1 research, Dr Zehtab explains The DRI has responded with a new strategy: an open door policy in which theyre soliciting partnerships with anyone and everyone doing meaningful research in this area They also have a new team called Rapid Response, or the Fast-Track Team that tries to quickly assess if some new avenue has potential or not Cool Im picturing that team in Ghostbusters outfits, for some reason
Whether the eye becomes a viable spot for transplantation in humans or not, I so appreciate the work these guys are doing Go, Research Nerds! sorry, I just had to say that
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