The Institute has identified polymer shell materials for oral, nasal, pulmonary, parenteral, subcutaneous, and suppository drug delivery routes. SwRI researchers have worked with resorbable polymers and used them to prepare nanospheres and microspheres for pharmaceuticals. Multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists are identifying advanced biomaterials for implants and other demanding medical applications. SwRI engineers tested hydrogel polymers for cell entrapment and cell immobilization. In vivo tests have shown excellent biocompatibility in nonimmunosuppressed rats.
Further work is needed to optimize the coatings and demonstrate blood sugar level control.
If this technology proves successful, insulin-dependent patients would need only a single injection of the encapsulated cells every few years instead of more frequent insulin injections. Theoretically, consistent blood sugar levels could be achieved with this technology and the side effects of diabetes, such as circulatory problems that can lead to amputations, would be reduced. Beneficial micro-organisms were encapsulated to protect them against moisture during animal feed processing. A patent has been issued for the production process and the composition of the product. A scale-up of the rotating disk process was provided to the client for production of the encapsulated bacteria.