3D Bioprinting of biomimetic pancreas

Offentlig prosjektsammendrag

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by progressive loss of insulin-producing beta cells in islets of Langerhans. For diabetes patients, insulin injection is the most common treatment to control blood sugar levels, but it does not cure the disease. In spite of regulated insulin treatment, periods of hyper- and hypoglycemia induce serious vascular- and neurological complications. The mortality rate of patients suffering from T1D is increased by 3-fold compared to the normal population, and was the seventh leading cause of death worldwide in 2016. Beta islet transplantation is used in several hospitals to help patients with T1D. There are, however, limitations to this approach, including limited donor cell supply, efficacy of the treatment, and requirements for immunosuppression to inhibit transplant rejection. Although the rapid development of stem cell technologies gives hope for future unlimited supply of insulin producing beta cells, there have been challenges to find a safe and efficient device for delivery of the cells. 3D bioprinting enables the creation of bioengineering tissue in a highly controlled manner, by simultaneously integrating living cells, biomaterials, and biological cues to provide a customized scaffold. The aim of the project is to design an implantable biomimetic pancreas device using 3D bioprinting with bioinks based on tunicate nanocellulose. The production of medical grade tunicate nanocellulose, TUNICELL, has been developed by Ocean TuniCell AS and exhibits superior physical properties and is highly pure compared to traditional scaffolding biomaterials. The integration with stem cells for a 3D constructed insulin producing device is therefore particularly promising. In this project, the biocompatibility of TUNICELL will be determined and the final 3D printed device evaluated using in vitro and in vivo models.