A major breakthrough in bioprinting has occurred.
A research team has developed a method of 3D printing pancreatic islets using 3D printing. Pancreatic islets are part of the body’s endocrine system that produces hormones. Beta islets normally produce insulin, which is essential for body regulation of blood sugar levels. A lack of insulin can result in diabetes in patients.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks beta islets, and that stops production of insulin. Patients with this condition must endure regular injections of insulin to survive.
The researchers were able to bioprint truly functional pancreatic islets with a new type of bioink made from alginate and decellularized human pancreatic tissue.
Unlike typical islet transplants that are inserted into the patient’s liver, the new bioprinted islets are simply inserted under the skin with a simple incision. This vastly simplifies the ability to receive the transplant.
Along with the new bioink, the researchers also had to deal with the extremely fragile biostructures. They had to carefully tune the printing process to ensure the islets were not destroyed during printing. This required a low material input pressure of only 30kPa and an extremely slow print speed of 20mm/minute (0.33mm/s).
They report that 90% of the printed islets survived the printing process, which is a very good yield. They also report that the islets worked efficiently, releasing more insulin than expected when exposed to glucose.
Should this method become a future solution to type 1 diabetes, there is a question about where to source the pancreatic material. Donors are scarce, and so the researchers are investigating alternative bio sources for the material, including pigs.
This is definitely not an immediate answer to diabetes, but is clearly a major step in that direction. The researchers are now working on methods of testing the 3D printed islets in animal subjects.
Via ESOT Congress
