A bioinspired scaffold for rapid oxygenation of cell encapsulation systems

Long-Hai Wang, Alexander Ulrich Ernst, Duo An, Ashim Kumar Datta, Boris Epel, Mrignayani Kotecha and Minglin Ma ()
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Long-Hai Wang: Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
Alexander Ulrich Ernst: Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
Duo An: Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
Ashim Kumar Datta: Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
Boris Epel: The University of Chicago
Mrignayani Kotecha: O2M Technologies, LLC
Minglin Ma: Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Abstract Inadequate oxygenation is a major challenge in cell encapsulation, a therapy which holds potential to treat many diseases including type I diabetes. In such systems, cellular oxygen (O2) delivery is limited to slow passive diffusion from transplantation sites through the poorly O2-soluble encapsulating matrix, usually a hydrogel. This constrains the maximum permitted distance between the encapsulated cells and host site to within a few hundred micrometers to ensure cellular function. Inspired by the natural gas-phase tracheal O2 delivery system of insects, we present herein the design of a biomimetic scaffold featuring internal continuous air channels endowed with 10,000-fold higher O2 diffusivity than hydrogels. We incorporate the scaffold into a bulk hydrogel containing cells, which facilitates rapid O2 transport through the whole system to cells several millimeters away from the device-host boundary. A computational model, validated by in vitro analysis, predicts that cells and islets maintain high viability even in a thick (6.6 mm) device. Finally, the therapeutic potential of the device is demonstrated through the correction of diabetes in immunocompetent mice using rat islets for over 6 months.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26126-w

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