Shortly after the launch of Solving Diabetes we received a number of penetrating questions from “J P Marat”. With his permission the resulting dialogue with Scott King has been edited for inclusion in Straight Talk. “J P Marat” is the pen name of a diabetes researcher in Canada. The dialogue has been formatted to enable further dialogue from readers.
I wonder what happens when the encapsulated beta cells decay? Decaying tissue collapses into a wide variety of particles of different dimensions, so what ensures that they will not leak into the abdomen, which is literally a perfect medium ready to magnify even the slightest infection into instant peritonitis.
We have experimental results on this one. In a long term canine allograft using microcapsules, after more than six years of euglycemia, the dog began to require insulin. Microcapsules were retrieved from the peroneal cavity. The capsules were largely free of cells and overgrowth. The islets inside were mostly dead, and appeared intact.
Cell death under encapsulation conditions is by apoptosis. In apoptosis the cells shut down in an orderly way and decay to small particles that can be eaten by phagocytes. The apoptotic bodies are too small to get out of the capsules; they appear to remain there indefinitely.
We expect that Islet Sheets will be replaced periodically and that the dead and dying beta cells will be removed with the old Sheet.