FURI | Spring 2020

Reproducibility and Completeness of Complex Hydrogel Geometry Fabrication in 3D Printed Injection Molds

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of pancreatic islet cells which results in patients no longer generating their own insulin. Islet cell transplantation via macroencapsulation is a potential therapy to treat type I diabetes in the absence of chronic systemic immunosuppression. The Weaver lab uses synthetic hydrogels to fabricate macroencapsulation devices and needs to develop a method to generate complex 3D hydrogel geometries by injection molding. The goal is to design and fabricate injection molding devices that can be easily translate to the clinic as a long-term treatment for type 1 diabetics.