Grad's Breakthrough Artificial Pancreas May Help Diabetics

Even though her colleagues told her it was impossible to create an artificial pancreas that could alleviate diabetes, and that she would never finish it in time to graduate from UC Berkeley, Tejal Desai finished what she set out to do.

For three decades, scientists have tried to develop an artificial pancreas. But Desai's Ph.D. project was a breakthrough in bioengineering research.

Desai, 31, built an implantable device-containing live pancreas cells-that could be used in place of daily insulin injections for diabetics to control their blood sugar levels.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the body cannot produce enough insulin to properly break down glucose because of damage to the pancreas. It affects 18.2 million Americans, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Diabetes is a widespread and quickly growing disease that is in need of new treatments, Desai said.

But scientists have been struggling since the 1970s to develop a cure for the disease.

The main challenge hindering scientists was protecting the insulin-producing pancreas cells from attacks from the body's immune system. In diabetics, the immune system damages these cells.

It took Desai four years to step over the barriers. She started growing cells on chemically modified silicon, which she used to create a container of silicon membrane covered in tiny pores.

These pores, which are a billionth of a meter wide, allow glucose, insulin and oxygen to pass through, while blocking larger, harmful immune cells.

This combination of biology and nanotechnology was unknown when Desai began her research, but bioengineering breakthroughs such as her own are making it a quickly growing field.

The artificial pancreas is currently about the size of a half dollar. Successful short-term results have been displayed in diabetic rats, Desai said.

Desai's goal is to increase the life of the device, but she said that "even a two-year viability would be great."

Now, two years after graduating from UC Berkeley, Desai is teaching at Boston University and working with a private bioengineering company to perfect and release her creation to the public. The license to the technology has been granted to iMEDD in Ohio.

Research on the pancreas is ongoing, and currently Desai and her team are working on improving blood oxygen circulation, the most common problem with artificial organs. An improvement in circulation will help to transfer the necessary insulin and oxygen to the rest of the body with greater speed.

The microfabricated silicon membrane she created helps with the blood flow, she said, but they are still experimenting with different materials. The team is looking at creating variations of Desai's original model, including different capsule designs and surface treatments.

Even with her ongoing pancreatic research, Desai plans to continue working on new technology and experiments.

For the future, Desai is looking into growing other organs and finding ways to help damaged organs function better-she has already created a plastic lining for the intestines that releases medicine.

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