Abstract #0394

Karmarkar P, Barnett B, Walczak P, Gilson W, Kraitchman D, Stuber M, Arepally A, Bulte J, Qian D

Recent advances in pancreatic islet cell transplantation for type I diabetes mellitus have provided insulin-independence in patients through successful engraftment. Nevertheless, the current percutaneous hepatic approach to transplantation carries a significant risk of bleeding and portal vein thrombosis. With these considerations in mind, we developed a novel approach to deliver and image islets following intraportal infusion in swine. Human islets were magnetoencapsulated (microencapsulation in an alginate based Feridex containing formulation) thereby providing both a means of immuno-isolation and MR-trackability. Utilizing MR guidance to access the portal vein via a transvenous approach magnetoencapsulated islets were delivered and subsequently imaged.