Hydrogel developed at EPFL offers real promise in treating diabetes
(World News Science)

Researchers at EPFL have developed a hydrogel that offers unrivaled protection against transplanted cell rejection. The School`s Technology Transfer Office has licensed the new product to Cell-Caps, a Geneva-based startup specialized in cell encapsulation for treating diabetes. Transplanted tissue often comes under attack from the body`s immune system and struggles to survive in the hostile host environment. This has resulted in a shortage of suitable transplants for patients with dysfunctional cells and organs, prompting researchers to devise alternative strategies. One idea that several teams have been working on in recent years is to coat cells from human donors - and even animals - with...