Johns Hopkins undergraduates invented a pouch that improves cell therapy for diabetes patients by anchoring transplanted insulin-producing cells inside a major blood vessel. The pouch sandwiches a porous band of nylon mesh between two concentric metal stents. Once in place, microcapsules filled with useful cells are injected into the gap between the stents where they are trapped in the nylon mesh. Blood flowing through the pouch should nourish the encapsulated cells and circulate proteins, such as insulin, produced by these cells. The inventors say the same approach could be used for other ailments, including liver disease.

A team of five seniors and two freshmen working with university doctors and engineers devised the pouch that fits inside the portal vein which feeds into the liver. “The device can be removed and reinserted if more therapy is needed, and the students have provided an ideal environment for encapsulated cells to thrive,” says project sponsor Jeff W. M. Bulte and Johns Hopkins director of Cellular Imaging.

The university technology transfer staff has applied for a provisional patent. Human trials will follow if animal tests are successful.