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The transplantation of allogeneic islets in recent clinical trials has shown substantial promise as a therapy for type 1 diabetes; however, long-term insulin independence remains inadequate. This has been largely attributed to the current intravascular, hepatic transplant site, which exposes islets to mechanical and inflammatory stresses. A highly macroporous scaffold, housed within an alternative transplant site, can support an ideal environment for islet transplantation by providing three-dimensional distribution of islets, while permitting the infiltration of host vasculature. In the present study, we sought to evaluate the synergistic effect of a proangiogenic hydrogel loaded within the void space of a macroporous poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) scaffold on islet engraftment. The fibrin-based proangiogenic hydrogel tested presents platelet derived growth factor (PDGF-BB), via a fibronectin (FN) fragment containing growth …