Engineering bioactive scaffolds and hydrogels for improving cell therapy in Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the patient’s immune cells destroy insulin-secreting cells in pancreatic islets, leading to blood glucose dysregulation. Cell-based therapies hold the potential to deliver a durable and automated insulin delivery system, thereby providing improved physiological control. One approach, termed clinical islet transplantation, involves isolating allogeneic islets from donors and infusing them into the hepatic portal vein to secrete insulin. While promising, this approach requires permanent systemic immunosuppression (IS), and the survival of the implanted cells is poor due to poor engraftment. In our laboratory, we have focused on addressing these key challenges by engineering macroporous scaffolds that provide a supportive environment for implanted cells by delivering oxygen, guiding vascularization, and

delivering local immunomodulatory agents. We are also using polymeric cell-surface grafting methods to reduce the immunogenicity of these implants. In this talk, I will summarize the engineering of these materials and their preclinical outcomes. Success with these strategies should increase the efficacy of islet transplantation for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes, thereby significantly improving the long-term survival and engraftment of transplanted islets.

Cherie L. Stabler

Department of Biomedical Engineering and 2UF Diabetes Institute

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

Speaker Bio: Dr. Cherie Stabler is the J. Crayton Pruitt Family & UF Foundation Preeminence Term Professor and Departmental Chair in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering at the University of Florida, and an Affiliate Member of the UF Diabetes Institute. Her research focuses on developing translational biomaterial platforms for cellular implants, with particular emphasis on cell-based therapies for Type 1 diabetes. Her novel bioactive materials are designed to enhance graft survival and to use local and translational approaches to dampen host immunological responses. She is also leading transdisciplinary efforts to advance in vitro human-centered platforms for studying mechanisms of Type 1 diabetes and evaluating interventions. Dr. Stabler is an inducted fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL). She is the President of the International Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Americas Chapter (TERMIS-AM).