Overview
The Komatsu Lab investigates regenerative medicine strategies to treat diabetes through pancreatic islet and stem cell–derived beta cell transplantation.
A central theme of our work is understanding and overcoming hypoxia, a major barrier to graft survival, by integrating biological insight with engineering-based solutions.
Research Themes
1. Oxygenation Strategies for Cell Transplantation
- Hypoxia is a primary cause of early graft loss after islet transplantation.
- We study oxygen distribution, consumption, and tolerance in islets and stem cell–derived beta cells using experimental and computational approaches.
- We develop systemic and local oxygenation strategies, including implantable oxygen-transporting devices and engineered scaffolds.
2. Minimally Invasive and Extrahepatic Transplantation
- Conventional intrahepatic islet transplantation faces significant biological limitations.
- Our lab develops subcutaneous and extrahepatic transplantation platforms that offer improved accessibility, retrievability, and compatibility with engineered cell products.
- These approaches are particularly suited for future stem cell–derived therapies.
3. Engineering and Biomimetic Approaches
- In collaboration with engineers, we design biomaterials, microfabricated devices, and culture platforms to support cell survival and engraftment.
- Our work includes oxygen-permeable culture systems, nanofiber scaffolds, and vascular-mimetic designs.
- We aim to translate these engineering advances into robust and scalable cell therapy solutions.