Implantation of rat islet-filled micromachined biocapsules in mice

This study investigates whether microfabricated silicon-based biocapsules, with uniform membrane pore sizes in the tens of nanometer range, can provide immunoprotection of rat islets transplanted into a mouse model. By utilizing microfabrication technology, biocapsules are fabricated with membranes having precisely controlled and uniform pore sizes, allowing one to optimize parameters specifically for the immunoisolation of hormone-secreting cells. The study evaluates biocompatibility and short term therapeutic efficacy for implanted biocapsules.