MEMS oxygen transport device for islet transplantation in the subcutaneous site

This paper presents a new MEMS approach of maintaining islet oxygenation for subcutaneous islet transplantation therapy of type 1 diabetes by engineering a MEMS oxygen transport device. A device is designed and fabricated. Bench-top testing and computational modeling of the device have demonstrated that it would provide sufficient oxygen to prevent hypoxia-induced islet death and maintain the functional metabolic activity of glucose-simulated insulin secretion for islets transplanted subcutaneously.