Dilrasbonu Vohidova, a doctoral student in the Department of Bioengineering
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Rice University
Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Interleukin-10 Biochemical Halo Cloaking
The Core Concept: A bioengineered, localized system that continuously produces the cytokine protein interleukin-10 (IL-10) to create a protective immunological shield around implanted insulin-producing cells.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: Rather than relying on systemic immunosuppressant drugs that leave the entire body vulnerable, this method co-packages IL-10-producing cells alongside pancreatic beta cells within hydrogel capsules. This creates a targeted immune suppression zone that prevents fibrotic scarring and host graft rejection.
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Interleukin-10 (IL-10): A specific cytokine protein identified as highly effective at interacting with immune cells and suppressing localized inflammatory responses.
- Hydrogel Encapsulation: Semipermeable protective capsules utilized to safely house both the therapeutic insulin-producing cells and the IL-10-producing auxiliary cells.
- Fibrosis Mitigation: The active prevention of scarlike tissue accumulation, which normally suffocates implanted foreign materials over time and causes therapeutic failure.
Branch of Science: Bioengineering, Immunology, and Endocrinology.
Future Application: The platform provides a potential scalable, off-the-shelf functional cure for Type 1 diabetes and could be adapted to improve implanted therapies for other autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders, and organ transplantations.
Why It Matters: This advancement overcomes a critical hurdle in cell-based therapies by working cooperatively with the localized immune system, effectively eliminating the severe risks of infection, organ failure, and cancer that generally accompany systemic immunosuppression.
A protein known as interleukin-10 (IL-10) is the linchpin of a new method to protect transplanted cells from host immune system aggression. Rice University researchers engineered a living factory to produce a localized biochemical halo of IL-10 to suppress the immune rejection of pancreatic beta cells.
In a study published in Science Advances, the Rice team and collaborators report that the new approach helped implanted insulin-producing cells keep blood sugar under control in diabetic mice for more than 100 days, nearly five times longer than cells implanted without protection. The findings could enable the development of a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and improve outcomes for implantable therapies.
“This work addresses the critical problem of graft rejection without compromising systemic immunity,” said Dilrasbonu Vohidova, a doctoral student in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice and a co–first author of the study. “It could lead to a scalable, off-the-shelf therapeutic solution to restore natural glucose regulation and transform the quality of life for millions living with T1D.”
Omid Veiseh, a Rice bioengineer and corresponding author of the study, said the work “marks an important step forward for cell-based therapies” that builds on prior research from his laboratory and researchers at the Rice Biotechnology Launch Pad. The research was made possible, in part, with support from Breakthrough T1D, the leading global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization.
The team first tested several different cytokines, which are proteins that interact with immune cells and help keep them in check. Results from laboratory cultures and an animal model identified IL-10 as the most effective at helping to control the immune response. They next packaged IL-10-producing cells, as well as insulin-producing cells, inside protective hydrogel capsules and implanted both into diabetic hosts.
Normally, the immune system recognizes implanted materials as foreign and walls them off with scarlike tissue, a process called fibrosis. Over time, that buildup can suffocate implanted cells and cause treatments to fail. However, the researchers found that IL-10 changed the local immune response around the implant, reducing fibrotic buildup.
“This localized effect is great because systemic immunosuppression—currently a requirement for islet transplantation and other implantable treatments—can increase the risk of infection, cancer, and organ failure,” Vohidova said. “For the T1D community, this approach could shift the paradigm from daily insulin management to lasting metabolic freedom.”
The researchers also tested the platform in nonhuman primates, where the implants continued producing IL-10 without signs of harmful effects elsewhere in the body. That result suggests the approach could eventually be suitable for human therapies.
“This study shows we may be able to protect implanted ‘living pharmacies’ by working with the immune system instead of against it,” said Veiseh, professor of bioengineering at Rice, a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Scholar, and director of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad. “With the support of BT1D, we are pushing this technology further toward clinical trials in the coming years.”
Although the research is still in the preclinical stage, the findings could have implications beyond diabetes. The same strategy may eventually help improve implanted therapies for autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders, and organ transplantation.
Other co–first authors of the paper are Boram Kim, a former doctoral student at Rice who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Amanda Nash, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Rice.
Funding: The research was supported by Breakthrough T1D (3-SRA-2022-1255-S-B, 3-SRA-2023-1398-S-B, 3-SRA-2024-1564-S-B, 3-SRA-2024-1557-S-B, 3-SRA-2025-1640-S-B), the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (1AY1AX000003, 140D042490003), and the National Institutes of Health (R01CA272769).
Disclaimer: The content in this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding entities.
Published in journal: Science Advances
Authors: Boram Kim, Dilrasbonu Vohidova, Amanda Nash, Yuen San Chan, Samantha Fleury, Shravani Deo, Danna Murungi, Peter D. Rios, Ira Joshi, Hafsa Nasir, Daisy Lopez, Mor Sela Golan, Cassidy Hart, Jose Oberholzer, H. Courtney Hodges, and Omid Veiseh
Source/Credit: Rice University | Silvia Cernea Clark
Edited by: Scientific Frontline
Reference Number: beng080526_01
