On-site PhD conferral Denise Françoise Antoinette de Bont

"Unraveling the puzzle of islet delivery devices – from start to patient opinion" 

Keywords: Diabetes type 1, regenerative medicine, medical device development, patient opinion.

In patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the insulin producing cells, also known as beta cells, in the islets of Langerhans are degraded by the immune system. Therefore, patients with type 1 are dependent on insulin administration for the rest of their lives. Currently, there are very limited treatment options available to make patients (temporarily) insulin independent, for example through clinical islet transplantation. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of islet transplantation is limited because most islets die due to an autoimmune reaction. The work in this thesis focuses on increasing the effectiveness of islet transplantation by developing an immune-protective implant. This implant ensures that the islets in the implant are protected against immune cells, to prevent islet loss. In this work, the developmental process of the implant is described, after which the safety of the implant is studied through animal studies. Finally, the expectations of the future user are evaluated through a survey.

Language: Dutch