Tolerance induction by surface immobilization of Jagged-1 for immunoprotection of pancreatic islets

Surface engineering of pancreatic islets by jagged-1 (JAG-1) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). (A) Immunoisolation of pancreatic islet surface by a double-layer of PEG. Although PEGylation can protect the islets from infiltration of immune cells and reduce host-cell interactions, the cytokines produced by immune cells can still potentially diffuse through this barrier. (B) Immobilization of JAG-1 as an immunomodulatory agent on the PEGylated islets surface can induce an immunomodulatory milieu thought induction of Tregs, upregulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and downregulation of inflammatory cytokines around the islets to enable efficient islet immunoprotection.188