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Encapsulated Beta-Islet Cells As A Bioartificial Pancreas To Treat Insulin-Dependent Diabetes During Pregnancy, Stephen Hunter, Y. Wang, C. Weiner, Jennifer Niebyl

Jennifer R Niebyl

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the effectiveness of the bioartificial pancreas technique in correcting (1) maternal carbohydrate metabolism and (2) fetal malformation rates in a pregnant diabetic animal model. STUDY DESIGN: Insulin secretion from encapsulated rat islets cultured in the presence of homologous rat prolactin was determined and compared with that of controls. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic Balb/c mice were then transplanted with rat islet cells encapsulated within alginate microbeads and were then bred. Blood glucose determinations were made after transplantation and throughout gestation. Pups were delivered by cesarean section on day 19 of gestation. Outcome parameters from the transplanted study …