Disclosed are devices and methods for transplanting cells, such as pancreatic endoderm cells, into a host. The devices include a non-woven fabric external to a cell-excluding membrane, and the non-woven fabric and/or cell-excluding membrane can be perforated. Treatment of the host with immunosuppressive reagents, required to inhibit allograft rejection due to perforations in the cell delivery device, does not compromise maturation or function of transplanted pancreatic endoderm cells.

The present invention provides a novel angiogenesis device. The angiogenesis device comprises an angiogenic component and a polymer, and is used to induce angiogenesis at a site for implantation of a cell- or tissue-containing device. The polymer may comprise, for example, at least one or more polyvinyl alcohol resins (A) selected from a modified polyvinyl alcohol resin having an active carbonyl group (A1), a polyvinyl alcohol resin having a triad syndiotacticity of 32 to 40% (A2), and a polyvinyl alcohol resin having a degree of saponification of 97 mol % or more (A3).

The present invention provides a novel angiogenesis device. The angiogenesis device comprises an angiogenic component and a polymer. The polymer may comprise, for example, at least one or more polyvinyl alcohol resins (A) selected from a modified polyvinyl alcohol resin having an active carbonyl group (A1), a polyvinyl alcohol resin having a triad syndiotacticity of 32 to 40% (A2), and a polyvinyl alcohol resin having a degree of saponification of 97 mol % or more (A3).

Embodiments herein describe tools, instruments and methods for aseptic loading, dispensing and/or delivering cells into an implantable device and aseptically and selectively sealing a device inside a sterile package as well as and storing and preparing for shipment the cell-filled device.

A bioartificial device, such as a bioartificial pancreas, for implantation in a patient's vascular system. The bioartificial pancreas includes a scaffold adapted to engage an interior wall of a blood vessel, a cellular complex support by the scaffold and extending longitudinally within the interior cavity of the scaffold so as to be exposed to the blood flow when the scaffold is engaged with the blood vessel, the cellular complex support comprising one or more pockets bordered by thin film; and cellular complex comprising pancreatic islets disposed in the one or more pockets, the thin film being adapted to permit oxygen and glucose to diffuse from flowing blood into the one or more pockets at a rate sufficient to support the viability of the islets. The invention also includes methods of making and using a bioartificial pancreas.

A full-function artificial organ fitting body comprises a cortex layer and an organ body tissue area. The organ body tissue area comprises a growth area, a differentiation area, a docking area, a branch arterial system, a branch nervous system and a branch venous system. The branch arterial system, the branch nervous system and the branch venous system are distributed in the differentiation area and form a main body three-dimensional skeleton structure with the outer growth area and the middle docking area.

An intravascular cell therapy device comprises a scaffold (2, 12) that is radially adjustable between a contracted orientation suitable for transluminal delivery to a vascular locus and an expanded orientation, and a biodegradable matrix provided on at least a portion of the scaffold that is suitable for seeding with cells and degrades in a vascular environment. The scaffold is configured to have a distal piercing tip (5) when in a deployed orientation. The scaffold comprises a plurality of sidewall panels (3, 13, 14) arranged around a longitudinal axis of the scaffold, and adjustable couplings (4) between the panels configured for adjustment between an expanded configuration and a contracted orientation, and in which each sidewall panel comprises a matrix suitable for seeding with cells.

Implantable devices, such as artificial organs, increasingly incorporate hardware, software, firmware, and/or wireless communication capabilities. For example, such implantable devices can utilize wireless technology to allow for efficient configuration, maintenance, and operational analysis. As these implantable devices become more connected, electronic security will become more important. This disclosure relates to implantable devices that may utilize a secure boot process and secure communication, both between artificial devices in the human body and between these devices and the external world. This disclosure provides secure communication approaches for maintaining the digital privacy and integrity of artificial devices, for protecting the individual from malicious hacking of data, and for controlling of such implantable devices.

The present invention provides a porous hollow fiber filtration membrane comprising a polysulfone-based polymer and hydrophilic polymer, the porous hollow fiber filtration membrane including a gradient asymmetric structure in which the average pore diameter of fine pores increases from the outer surface toward the inner surface, a content of the hydrophilic polymer in the membrane is 6.0 to 12.0% by mass, and a ratio of the content of the hydrophilic polymer in the outer surface to the content of the hydrophilic polymer in the membrane is 1.20 to 1.60.

An implantable lymph node replacement construct (10) comprising a body (12) having a plurality of inlets (24,26) and a lesser number of outlets (30). The body (12) further having an internal structure defining a fluid communication path through the body (12) from the inlets (24,26) to the outlet or outlets (30). The internal structure of the body (12) comprises an inlet portion (38), a convergent portion (40) and an outlet portion (42) such that lymph received by the construct (10) at the inlets (24,26) is conveyed through the inlet portion (38) of the internal structure to the convergent portion (40) whereupon the lymph is combined before passing to the outlet or outlets (30).