Bioelectronic Oxygen Generating Macrodevices for the Cell-Based Delivery of Protein Therapeutics In Vivo Without Immune Suppression

Our team is focused on developing a new class of bioelectronic macrodevices that can maintain the viability of therapeutic cells in hostile transplant sites without the need for immune suppression. The therapeutic cells secrete protein drugs such as insulin or other biologics to regulate a variety of diseases. The devices are placed just under the skin as a minimally invasive subcutaneous implant. Nonetheless, this site is hostile to immune protected cells due to nutrient deprivation which leads to loss of cell viability. Our bioelectronic platform utilizes wireless resonant inductive coupling to power the device and electrochemically split water vapor in the body into oxygen and hydrogen gas for the therapeutic cells. Oxygen is an essential nutrient for the therapeutic cells and promotes long-term survival. In this talk, I will describe recent results with the O2 device that has enabled 90 day reversal of diabetes in various rodent models and current explorations in non-human primate models.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Describe the function of bioelectronic macrodevices in sustaining the viability of therapeutic cells for in vivo protein drug delivery.

2. Explain how wireless resonant inductive coupling and electrochemical water vapor splitting generate oxygen to support therapeutic cells.

3. Assess the effectiveness of the O₂ device in reversing diabetes in rodent models and its potential for translation to non-human primates.