An intravascular Bioartificial Pancreas (iBAP)

Approximatelymillion Americans and aroundmillion people worldwide are affected by TypeDiabetesT DExogenous insulin injectionallogeneic whole organ pancreas transplantationand allogeneic islet transplantation are the most common treatments for T DThese treatments can achieve glycemic control for many patients but result in serious complicationsA bioartificial pancreas is a promising treatment for T D because it contains functional isletsHoweverprevious attempts to develop a bioartificial pancreas have been severely limited by insufficient mass transfer within the islet chamberSilicon Kidney LLC has developed and is commercializing the silicon nanopore membranesSNMwhich achieves high efficiency blood ultrafiltration while selectively retaining specific solutesThe ultra high hydraulic permeability characteristic of the SNM will enable appropriate mass transportespecially oxygenglucoseand insulinwithin the islet chamber to achieve optimal islet performancewhile the ultra selective pore characteristic of the SNM enable unprecedented immunoisolationThe ultimate objective of this Phase II SBIR project is to create a full scale iBAP containing a clinically relevant islet dose and perform pre clinical hemocompatibility and functionality testing in a large scale animal model TypeDiabetesT Daffects approximatelymillion Americans and incurs a substantial cost to the US health care systemOur multidisciplinary team at Silicon Kidney LLC and the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco is developing a new intravascular bioartificial pancreasiBAPthat will improve T D outcomesincrease patient quality of lifeand significantly reduce the cost of T D on the health care system