This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. In an effort to cure diabetes, one promising development is the implantation of gel encapsulated cells that can produce insulin. These encapsulated cells can then be implanted in patients. We are developing a variety of encapsulation methods and are using MR both on encapsulated cell samples and in vivo in animal models in order to evaluate different systems and methods. In particular, we are presently evaluating a variety of alginate combinations to generate alginate beads with different properties and characteristics and evaluating their ability to support different cell types. A publication describing this work on beads of differing alginate compositions has now been published. Additionally we continue to examine the MR characteristics of beads implanted with pancreatic islets. Most recently we obtained the first MR images of human islets. For these studies we have integrated the microcoils with a perfusion system to keep the tissues viable in the instrument. The images show a clear heterogeneity within the beads. We are in the process of reproducing these results and determining if they provide information relevant with respect to tissue viability. These data were used in the submission of an NIH grant on microimaging studies of the beads (PI = Dr Constantinidis).
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