Xeno-Transplantation of macro-encapsulated islets and Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Pancreatic Progenitors without Immunosuppression.

Islet transplantation effectively treats diabetes but relies on immune suppression and is practically limited by the number of cadaveric islets available. An alternative cellular source is insulin-producing cells derived from pluripotent cell sources. Three animal cohorts were used in the current study to evaluate whether an oxygen-providing macro-encapsulation device, 'βAIR', could function in conjunction with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and their derivatives.