Provision of carbon nanotube bucky paper cages for immune shielding of cells, tissues, and medical devices

A system for providing secretion of an active biological substance into an ambient medium, the system comprising:

• an active biological substance enclosed in a cage or envelope of a cage material that includes primarily carbon nanotube Bucky paper (“CNTBP”), having at least one of a cage thickness in a range 1–100 μm and a cage area density in a range of 420–1500 μg/cm2, where an interior of the cage is substantially isolated from an ambient medium located in an exterior of the cage, except for transport of molecules of at least one species between the cage interior and the cage exterior, and where the active biological substance has a positive rate of transfer across the cage material from the cage interior to the cage exterior.

A method for providing secretion of an active biological substance into an ambient medium, the method comprising:

• enclosing at least one of a tissue and a group of cells (referred to herein as a “biological insert”), having a capability of secreting a chemical and having an insert first concentration, in a first cage or envelope of a first cage material that includes primarily carbon nanotube Bucky paper (“CNTBP”), having at least one of a cage thickness in a range 1–100 μm and a cage area density in a range of 420–1500 μgm/cm2, where the biological insert has a positive rate of transfer across the first cage material from a first cage interior to a first cage exterior;
• and
• enclosing a second biological insert, having an insert second concentration, in a second cage or envelope of a second cage material, having a second cage thickness, where an interior of the second cage is contained within the first cage and where the second biological insert within the second cage has a positive rate of transfer across the second cage material from a second cage interior to the first cage interior.

A method for monitoring at least one of presence and concentration of an active biological substance in an ambient medium, the method comprising:

• enclosing a monitoring substance, which reacts with a monitored substance and undergoes at least one of a chemical change and a physical change, in a cage or envelope of a cage material that includes primarily carbon nanotube Bucky paper (“CNTBP”), the cage having at least one of a cage thickness in a range 1–100 μm and a cage area density in a range of 420–1500 μgm/cm2, where an interior of the cage is substantially isolated from an ambient medium located in an exterior of the cage and where the monitored substance has a positive rate of transfer across the cage material between a cage exterior and a cage interior;
• and
• when the monitoring substance undergoes at least one of the chemical change and the physical change, the system interprets this condition to indicate that the monitored substance is present in the ambient medium.

A method for controlling activity of a biological tissue or group of cells in a host body, the method comprising:

• enclosing a biological tissue or group of cells (referred to herein as a “biological insert”) that is initially in an inactive state, in a cage or envelope of a cage material that includes primarily carbon nanotube Bucky paper (“CNTBP”), the cage having at least one of a cage thickness in a range 1–100 μm and a cage area density in a range of 420–1500 μgm/cm2, where an interior of the cage is substantially isolated from an ambient medium located in an exterior of the cage;
• and
• at a first time, administering a triggering agent to at least one of the ambient medium and the cage interior to activate the biological insert and to permit at least part of the activated biological insert to secrete an active biological substance within the cage.