A prototype bioreactor for pancreatic islet transplantation (360G-Wellcome-216922_Z_19_Z)

10% of the NHS annual budget is allocated to treat diabetes and its complications. For some patients, transplantation with either whole pancreas or isolated islets of Langerhans is required. Islet transplantation (ITx) is a minimally invasive treatment adopted by the NHS for this patient population, which avoids the high morbidity (~30%) and mortality (~5%) associated with traditional pancreas transplantation. ITx is costly (£20,000/islet-isolation) and outcomes are limited with 2-3 transplants required to treat each patient [1] and a lack of routine insulin-independence. A primary limiting factor for this therapy is inadequate preservation and transport of islets that are acutely sensitive to oxygen deprivation; leading to tissue loss via core- necrosis or permanent loss of function due to de-differentiation of insulin- producing β-cells [2, 3, 4, 5]. We will investigate a novel system that preserves islets in suspension from the point of production through to dispensing; up to 48 hours in the UK. This system will eventually be portable and capable of operating independently of grid supply whilst providing oxygenation and temperature stability. In this project, several proposed design iterations will be compared to evaluate their suitability for islet preservation; particularly focusing on known problems associated with islet agglomeration and nutrient delivery.