Type 1 diabetes: Tannic acid encapsulation protects transplanted islets from rejection

(University of Alabama at Birmingham) One therapy for Type 1 diabetes is promising -- transplanting pancreatic islets from cadavers -- but a need for immunosuppression and a reactivated autoimmunity lead to low graft viability and function after five years. Now researchers show that a protective coating of alternating layers of two biopolymers delays allograft and autoimmune-mediated rejection in mouse models of T1D.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news