ABSTRACT
Clinical islet transplantation is a promising approach in treating Type 1 diabetes and a subgroup of patients with Type 2 diabetes requiring insulin administration. Currently, there are several limitations for long-term engraftment of functional islets: immune rejection, inadequate oxygen and nutrient supply, as well as inefficient metabolic waste removal from grafted endocrine tissue. To overcome such limitations, a tissue engineering approach based on utilization of three-dimensional (3D) supermacroporous scaffolds was developed. The main aim of using 3D scaffolds is to supply the grafted islets with a matrix that can promote local neovascularisation and support long-term survival and
10.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 278 10.2 Cryogels as Scaffolds for Implanted Pancreatic Islets ..................................280
