Engineering the oxygen microenvironment for pancreatic islet transplants.

Kruzshak, Samantha; Williams, Flannery G; Camci-Unal, Gulden; Tzanakakis, Emmanuel S · NPJ Regen Med · 2026

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Abstract

Pancreatic β-cell dysfunction causes diabetes in over 400 million worldwide. Islet transplantation promises but faces donor scarcity, rejection, and hypoxic failure. β cells are vulnerable to oxygen deprivation, affecting survival and function. Strategies include pre-implantation, prevascularization, genetic modifications to improve survival; biomaterial encapsulation for immune protection and nutrients; and oxygen delivery after implantation to sustain viability, advancing islet transplantation for diabetes.