Microvessels support engraftment and functionality of human islets and hESC-derived pancreatic progenitors in diabetes models.

Aghazadeh, Yasaman; Poon, Frankie; Sarangi, Farida; Wong, Frances T M; Khan, Safwat T; Sun, Xuetao; Hatkar, Rupal; Cox, Brian J et al. · Cell Stem Cell · 2021

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Islet transplantation is a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes (T1D), yet the low donor pool, poor islet engraftment, and life-long immunosuppression prevent it from becoming the standard of care. Human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived pancreatic cells could eliminate donor shortages, but interventions to improve graft survival are needed. Here, we enhanced subcutaneous engraftment by employing a unique vascularization strategy based on ready-made microvessels (MVs) isolated from the adipose tissue. This resulted in improved cell survival and effective glucose response of both human islets and hESC-derived pancreatic cells, which ameliorated preexisting diabetes in three mouse models of T1D.

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