” The eye is our only window into the body, and its immune-privileged,” states Anna Herland, senior speaker in the Division of Bionanotechnology at SciLifeLab at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and the AIMES research study center at KTH and Karolinska Institute. Credit: David Callahan/KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Benefits of the Eye
Anna Herland, senior lecturer in the Division of Bionanotechnology at SciLifeLab at KTH and the AIMES proving ground at KTH and Karolinska Institutet, says that the eye is perfect for this technology because it has no immune cells that respond unfavorably in the first phase of implantation. Its transparency enables microscopic and visual study of what happens to the implant over time.
” The eye is our only window into the body, and its immune-privileged,” Herland states.
Illustration of the microdevice, and photograph of its position in the eye of a laboratory mouse. Credit: Hanie Kavand, Montse Visa, Martin Köhler, Wouter van der Wijngaart, Per-Olof Berggren, Anna Herland
Gadget Design and Functionality
The device is developed as a wedge, about 240 micrometers long, enabling the structure to be mechanically repaired at the angle between the iris and the cornea in the anterior chamber of the eye (ACE). The work shows the very first mechanical fixation of a device in the anterior chamber of the eye.
” We designed the medical device to hold living mini-organs in a micro-cage and introduced using a flap door strategy to prevent the need for additional fixation,” states Wouter van der Wijngaart, professor in the Division of Micro- and Nanosystems at KTH.
Promising Results in Animal Testing
In tests on mice, the gadget maintained its position in the living organism for numerous months, and the mini-organs quickly incorporated with the host animals blood vessels and worked generally, Herland says.
Per-Olof Berggren, teacher of speculative endocrinology at Karolinska Institutet contributed to the research study with years of experience in transplanting islets of Langerhans to the anterior chamber of the eye in mice.
” The present unit is unique and will to name a few things form the basis for our ongoing work to establish an incorporated microsystem for studying the function and survival of the islets of Langerhans in the anterior chamber of the eye,” Berggren says. “This is likewise of fantastic translational significance, as transplantation of Langerhans islands to the anterior chamber of the eye in humans undergoes scientific trials in patients with diabetes.”
Getting rid of Obstacles
Herland states the technology gets rid of one barrier to the advancement of cell therapies, including those for diabetes. Particularly, there is no requirement for invasive techniques to monitor the grafts function and to assist care in order to ensure long-term transplant success.
” Ours is a primary step towards innovative medical microdevices that can both localize and keep track of the function of cell grafts,” she states.
She states the design makes it possible to place mini-organs such as organoids and islets of Langerhans without restricting the supply of nutrients to the cells.
” Our design will allow future combination and use of more advanced gadget functions such as incorporated electronic devices or drug release.”
Recommendation: “3D-Printed Biohybrid Microstructures Enable Transplantation and Vascularization of Microtissues in the Anterior Chamber of the Eye” by Hanie Kavand, Montse Visa, Martin Köhler, Wouter van der Wijngaart, Per-Olof Berggren and Anna Herland, 10 October 2023, Advanced Materials.DOI: 10.1002/ adma.202306686.
The research study has actually been moneyed by SSF, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, ERC, Erling Persson Family Foundation and Jochnick Foundation, AIMES and Novo Nordisk Foundation.
The studys dispute of interest statement keeps in mind that Per-Olof Berggren is a partner in Biocrine AB, which is also part of the research study.
Researchers in Sweden have actually developed a 3D-printed eye implant to treat diabetes by encapsulating insulin-producing cells. Checked successfully in mice, this technology leverages the eyes openness for monitoring and guarantees advances in cell-based treatments.
Researchers in Sweden have actually established a microscale gadget for implantation in the eye, which provides brand-new opportunities for cell-based treatment of diabetes and other illness.
Partnership and Design
Intending towards encapsulating insulin-producing pancreatic cells and electronic sensing units, the 3D-printed gadget was established by a group from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Karolinska Institutet. The scientists reported the outcomes of the work in the journal Advanced Materials.
The cooperation in between KTH and Karolinska Institutet makes it possible for micro-organs– specifically pancreatic islets or islets of Langerhans– to be placed precisely in the eye without the need for stitches. It offers the possibility of cell-based therapy, for instance, to treat Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, using the eye as a base.