Stem cell derived insulin producing cells or islets have shown promise in reversing Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), yet successful transplantation currently necessitates long‐term modulation with immunosuppressant drugs. An alternative approach to avoiding this immune response is to utilize an islet macroencapsulation device, where islets are incorporated into a selectively permeable membrane that can protect the transplanted cells from acute host response, whilst enabling delivery of insulin. These macroencapsulation systems have to meet a number of stringent and challenging design criteria in order to achieve the ultimate goal of reversing T1D. In this progress report, the design considerations and functional requirements of macroencapsulation systems are reviewed, specifically for stem‐cell derived islets (SC‐islets), highlighting distinct design parameters. Additionally, a perspective on the future for macroencapsulation systems is given, and how incorporating continuous sensing and closed‐loop feedback can be transformative in advancing toward an autonomous biohybrid artificial pancreas.

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Fibrous capsule (FC) formation, secondary to the foreign body response (FBR), impedes molecular transport and is detrimental to the long-term efficacy of implantable drug delivery devices, especially when tunable, temporal control is necessary. We report the development of an implantable mechanotherapeutic drug delivery platform to mitigate and overcome this host immune response using two distinct, yet synergistic soft robotic strategies. Firstly, daily intermittent actuation (cycling at 1 Hz for 5 minutes every 12 hours) preserves long-term, rapid delivery of a model drug (insulin) over 8 weeks of implantation, by mediating local immunomodulation of the cellular FBR and inducing multiphasic temporal FC changes. Secondly, actuation-mediated rapid release of therapy can enhance mass transport and therapeutic effect with tunable, temporal control. In a step towards clinical translation, we utilise a minimally invasive percutaneous approach to implant a scaled-up device in a human cadaveric model. Our soft actuatable platform has potential clinical utility for a variety of indications where transport is affected by fibrosis, such as the management of type 1 diabetes.

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A small library of degradable polyester-like glycopolymers was successfully prepared by the combination of radical ring-opening copolymerization (rROP) of 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane (MDO) with vinyl ether (VE) derivatives, and a Pd-catalyzed thioglycoconjugation. The resulting thioglycopolymers were formulated into self-stabilized thioglyconanoparticles which were stable up to 4 months and were enzymatically degraded. Nanoparticles and their degradation products exhibited a good cytocompatibility on two healthy cell lines. Interactions between thioglyconanoparticles and lectins were investigated and highlighted the presence of both specific carbohydrate/lectin interactions and nonspecific hydrophobic interactions. Fluorescent thioglyconanoparticles were also prepared either by encapsulation of Nile Red, or by the functionalization of the polymer backbone with Rhodamine B. Such nanoparticles were used to prove the cell internalization of the thioglyconanoparticles by lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells which underlined the great potential of P(CKA-co-VE) copolymers for biomedical applications