Let’s go straight to the example! An automatic insulin pump is a device that improves the lives of diabetics by monitoring blood sugar levels, infusing insulin when needed, and avoiding frequent blood samples. The device consists of a pump and needle with integrated sensors used to measure and deliver insulin. The problem, however, is that within a few days, the blood glucose sensor has to be repositioned and reset.
Not only blood glucose monitors have this problem, but all implants, which need to be replaced at different intervals such as: Plastic prosthetic knees must be replaced after about 20 years, those that need to be replaced. Implants used in plastic surgery also suffered the same fate after about 10 years.
This is not only annoying, expensive, and dangerous. The reason is due to the mechanism of the immune system in our body . Over hundreds of millions of years of evolution, these defensive fronts have become extremely adept at detecting foreign objects. Our immune systems possess a vast arsenal of weapons to capture, block and destroy what they believe to enter the body illegally. But the downside of this defense is that they consider even beneficial implants like insulin pumps as harmful as bacteria or viruses.
As soon as the insulin pump is implanted into the skin, the body immediately activates the mode to recognize foreign objects and come up with methods of response. Start with free proteins adhering to the surface of the inoculum. These proteins include antibodies that try to neutralize the foreign object and send signals that call on other immune cells to step up the attack.
In response to the emergency call, the second wave of attacks was an army of white blood cells and macrophages. White blood cells release small granules containing enzymes that try to destroy the surface of the insulin pump needle. Macrophages also release enzymes with nitric oxide derivatives that help create a chemical reaction that degrades the object over time. If macrophages cannot resolve foreign matter quickly, they clump together into a giant cell mass.
At the same time, the fibroblasts migrate to that point and begin to accumulate dense layers of connective tissue. They wrap around the needle, over time surrounded, around the implant gradually form a scar mass. The function of the scar mass is to be an impenetrable wall, preventing communication between the body and the implant.
The scar around the pacemaker interferes with the flow of electricity and disables the device. The artificial knee joint sheds small pieces as it wears out, causing anti-inflammatory immune cells to gather around these fragments, causing stiffness. Worse, the immune system attack can be shocking, even life-threatening.
Now, researchers are finding ways to bypass the immune system by coating the implant with chemicals and drugs approved by the immune system. In addition, new methods such as using more natural implant materials, similar in structure to tissues are also being tested and applied.
In the future, research into the immune system will help us develop superior artificial organs and body-matched transplants to heal injuries quickly.