New Curtin University-led research has uncovered a significant advancement in developing better quality nanocapsules – or tiny houses for growing healthy cells, which has the potential to offer new treatments capable of curing diabetes.

The paper, published in Molecular Pharmaceutics, found the newly designed nanocapsules can function as little houses that host healthy organs, which produce insulin in a stable way, moving a step closer to creating an artificial pancreas that can potentially cure diabetes.

Lead author Dr Hani Al-Salami, a Senior Lecturer of Pharmaceutics and Biotechnology from Curtin’s School of Pharmacy and Lead Researcher within the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, said the research had potential implications for the treatment of many diseases through the implantation of healthy organs, which is not currently available.

“This biomaterial and nanotechnological research has achieved a new discovery that may offer a new biological-based treatment via a capsule, which could be used to harvest healthy organs capable of curing diabetes in the future,” Dr Al-Salami said.

“Through this research, we have uncovered new data on biotechnological methods for creating better quality nanocapsules, or tiny houses for growing healthy cells, which have the potential to offer new treatment options as the healthy cells can function as their own organs and help cure many diseases, which currently have no cure.

“This discovery is significant as it has the potential to offer new treatment options for many diseases, including diabetes.”

The research is the result of more than two years work undertaken at Curtin University, in collaboration with the Diabetes Centre at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and The University of Western Australia.

The full paper, ‘New Biotechnological Microencapsulating Methodology Utilizing Individualized Gradient-Screened Jet Laminar Flow Techniques for Pancreatic β-Cell Delivery: Bile Acids Support Cell Energy-Generating Mechanisms’.