A critical hurdle associated with long term implantable devices is the foreign body response (FBR). Macroencapsulation devices are a promising therapy for the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) as they improve cell retention and viability. However they have limited success due to a complex cascade of events, causing fibrous encapsulation and ultimately device failure. In 2017, 425 million individuals worldwide were diagnosed with DM, Type 1 DM accounting for 5-10% of all cases. Here we propose the incorporation of soft robotics into a long term implantable device to modulate the host’s response to the implant.
Non-porous dynamic soft robotic devices (DSR) were implanted subcutaneously in a rat model. Two devices were implanted per animal and subjected to actuation or no actuation. At day 14 the devices were explanted en bloc and stained with 1% phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) for 2 weeks. Imaging was performed using a Scanco Mediucal MicroCT 100 and analysed using Mimics 18 materialise software. Thickness analysis was performed using volumetric reconstructions.
A significant reduction in the mean fibrotic capsule thickness was seen when the device was actuated compared to the control (p=0.0005).
The use of soft robotics can modulate the foreign body response in vivo. This technology can be harnessed to improve the success of long term implantable medical devices, including macroencapsulation devices for diabetes treatment.