Islet encapsulated implantable composite hollow fiber membrane based device: A bioartificial pancreas.

Islets from xeno-sources and islet like clusters derived from autologus stem cells have emerged as alternatives to cadaveric pancreas used for treatment of type 1 diabetes. However, the immuno-isolation of these islets from the host immune system suffers from the issue of biocompatibility and hypoxia. To overcome the issues of immunobarrier biocompatibility, we developed a Polysulfone (Psf)/TPGS composite hollow fiber membrane (HFM) using a hollow fiber spinning pilot plant specially developed for this purpose.

Bifunctional Polysulfone-Chitosan Composite Hollow Fiber Membrane for Bioartificial Liver.

Hollow fiber membranes are widely used as assist devices for bioartificial liver application. Asymmetric porous polysulfone and polysulfone-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (Psf-TPGS) composite hollow fiber and flat membranes were prepared by phase inversion procedure and subsequently surface modified with chitosan using sulfonation with concentrated sulfuric acid. Sulfonation induces negative charge on the prepared membrane surface and facilitates the attachment of chitosan amine groups by electrostatic interaction.

The biocompatibility and separation performance of antioxidative polysulfone/vitamin E TPGS composite hollow fiber membranes.

The extended interaction of blood with certain materials like hemodialysis membranes results in the activation of cellular element as well as inflammatory response. This results in hypersensitive reactions and increased reactive oxygen species, which occurs during or immediately after dialysis. Although polysulfone (Psf) hollow fiber has been commercially used for acute and chronic hemodialysis, its biocompatibility remains a major concern.