Biological implant with crystalline protection: Technion researchers have developed an “artificial pancreas” that may eliminate the need for insulin injections in type 1 diabetes

Dr. Shadi Farah and international team present a living implant made from engineered target cells that monitors glucose and releases insulin autonomously over time; the study was published in Science Translational Medicine and was selected for the cover of the issue

International research led by Dr. Shadi Farah from the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technion has led to the development of an innovative technology for the treatment of diabetes and other chronic diseases. This technology may eliminate the need for insulin injections, using a biological implant that produces insulin within the body and can function over time. Dr. Farah published the research in the prestigious journal Science Translational Medicine Together with leading researchers from MIT, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Massachusetts. The joint article was selected by the journal for the cover of the issue.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as "juvenile diabetes" and "insulin-dependent diabetes," is a common disease in which the production of insulin - the hormone that controls the movement of glucose into cells - is impaired. It is a chronic disease that requires external insulin injections through subcutaneous injections or an insulin pump - processes that burden the lives of tens of millions around the world, including many minors. 

The implant developed by the international team led by Dr. Farah is a living implant based on engineered cells and replaces the pancreas – the organ responsible for producing insulin in the body. The implant, which serves as an autonomous artificial pancreas, functions as a “living medicine” and works well over time thanks to protection based on engineered crystals developed by Dr. Farah’s team. Once implanted in the body, the implant operates without any need for additional external intervention, thanks to long-term crystalline protection. It Continuously monitors glucose levels, produces insulin and releases the required amount at the exact time – a kind of autonomous system, or in Dr. Farah's words – "a factory for manufacturing drugs inside the body."

The innovative implant solves one of the common problems in the world of implants – rejection of the implant as a result of the immune system attacking the cells. This achievement is also based on crystals developed under the leadership of Dr. Farah. The effectiveness of the new development has been successfully demonstrated in several animal models, and Dr. Farah hopes and estimates that it will be tested in a clinical trial in the near future.

"This publication is very exciting, because I began working on this topic in 2018, as part of my postdoctoral studies at MIT and BCH (Harvard Medical School) under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Anderson and Prof. Robert (Bob) Langer, leaders in the field of tissue engineering and founders of Moderna. The research results are very significant and open the door to more interesting directions that are being investigated today in my laboratory at the faculty, with broad international collaborations. Therefore, for me, as a faculty member at the Technion and head of the Laboratory for Advanced Medical Functional Polymers and Smart Drug Delivery Technologies, this is definitely a dramatic closing of the circle."

In addition to its potential to change the lives of diabetic patients, the researchers believe the implantable platform could be adapted to treat a wide range of chronic diseases that require continuous delivery of biologic drugs – hemophilia, for example. “This is a dramatic paradigm shift, and I hope our findings will translate into treatments that will improve and prolong the lives of millions of patients around the world.”

The lead authors of the paper are Dr. Shadi Farah (also co-corresponding author), Matthew Bochanek of MIT, and Joshua Dolloff of Johns Hopkins University. Additional authors from Dr. Farah's lab are Dr. Mirna Shahin-Moalem and former research students Neta Kutner and Eduard Odeh (currently a researcher on the team).

To the article in the journal Science Translational Medicine   - Press HERE

More of the topic in Hayadan:

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• A sensitive acidity sensor that initiates insulin production
• Amorphous materials: how some solids flow as liquids
• Pancreatic tissue from a pig fetus has been successfully transplanted into mice with a human immune system