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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

People with type 1 diabetes have to live with daily injections of insulin. As research progresses in this field [gizmag.com], scientists are looking into new methods that can free, or at least partially free, patients from regular doses. One such method is pancreatic islet transplantation, something that researchers at Okinawa Institute of Technology and Science Graduate University (OIST) claim they have improved [gizmag.com].

Current procedures involve injecting the insulin-producing islets into the liver. After an adaptation period, the cells will start producing enough insulin for the patient. The technique has advanced in recent years, but one challenging issue is the collection, preservation, and transportation of those cells, which can be damaged by sharp ice crystals during freezing and thawing.

Led by Professor Amy Shen, head of the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit at OIST, the research team, in collaboration with the University of Washington and Wuhan University of Technology, has developed a new cryopreservation method that preserves the cells without damage and makes it easier to assess their viability in real time.

The islets are encapsulated in hydrogel made from alginate, a polymer extracted from seaweed. The strong bond between water molecules and hydrogen networks prevent the formation of ice and so protects the cells from damage. As a consequence, the need for cryoprotectants, anti-freeze materials than can be toxic in higher concentrations, is reduced.

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