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We believe that a therapy that produces euglycemia without risk of hypoglycemia is a cure for diabetes. There are four general approaches that might accomplish a cure for diabetes.
Pancreas and Islet Transplantation
Several hundred pancreas and islet transplants, all depending on immune suppression to prevent rejection of the implant, have taken place. Recently, the success rate of the islet procedure has been improving and may soon rival the success rate of kidney transplantation, over 80%. However, current immune suppression methods have side effects that rival the morbidity of diabetes. We see little likelihood of complication-free immune suppression in the near future.
Bio-Mechanical Devices
An artificial pancreas involving a glucose sensor, an insulin pump with a reservoir and a computer to determine the pump speed is one possibility. The chief difficulty with this approach has been that no glucose sensor is sufficiently sensitive, accurate and stable. If the device malfunctions, it may kill the diabetic.
Genetic and Cellular Engineering
In this approach, cells are engineered to evade the host immune system. This may be accompanied by specific immunosuppression. While promising, the rate of progress thus far indicates that complete immune evasion by bioengineered cells (in the absence of a physical barrier) will not be possible for many years.
Bio-artificial Pancreas
The bio-artificial pancreas has living, functional islets or cells in an artificial polymer matrix. This is the approach taken by Cerco Medical.
The matrix can in principle be many different polymers; a common one, and the one favored by Cerco Medical, is alginate.
The cellular component can be primary islets of Langerhans (harvested with minimal damage from living donors or animals), cultured cell lines, or cultured genetically engineered cells.
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Bio-artificial Pancreas
Development of Islet Sheet Medicals thin sheet
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