3D-printed pancreas cells could offer the future of diabetes treatment in world-first breakthrough
Scientists might’ve achieved a major breakthrough in how diabetes is treated, offering a stronger and more reliable alternative to insulin injections that utilises modern technological solutions.
Hundreds of millions of people have diabetes across the world, with around 8.4 million of those having the Type 1 variant, with studies published in The BMJ indicating that this number could rise beyond 17 million in the next two decades.
Currently, the primary treatment for Type 1 Diabetes is insulin therapy, either through injections or a pump. This aims to supply your body with the vital hormone after your immune system attacks the pancreatic islets, which are supposed to regulate your blood level.
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However, diabetic treatments might soon be receiving a revolutionary treatment thanks to new 3D-printed pancreatic cells, providing a far more reliable and effective form of treatment than what doctors can currently offer.
How do 3D-printed pancreas cells work?
As reported by Cosmos, a new study from an international team of scientists has managed to develop a 3D-printed replica of the aforementioned pancreatic islets, which supply your body with the necessary insulin to survive.
These are developed with a structure that attempts to mirror that of the body to best integrate it without any issues, and the islets are then implanted under the skin.
Current tests have shown that the islets are capable of remaining fully functional for around three weeks, producing insulin in response to your body's glucose levels with seemingly no issues.
This is a stark difference from the previous state of islet transplantation efforts, which have been in circulation for decades but can take several weeks to begin working inside the body and also have a high chance of damaging the 'extracellular matrix' surrounding the islets, which limits their survivability inside the body.
Speaking about the discovery, Dr Quentin Perrier, the study's lead and researcher at Wake Forest University's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, outlined:
"This is one of the first studies to use real human islets instead of animal cells in bioprinting, and the results are incredibly promising. It means we're getting closer to creating an off-the-shelf treatment for diabetes that could one day eliminate the need for insulin injections."
This would understandably make it far easier for people to live with Type 1 Diabetes, and make it far more manageable in the long term instead of having to rely on hospital-bound solutions.
In order to create the 3D-printed islets, the scientists developed a bioink from the pancreas extracellular matrix alongside alginate. This is a carbohydrate found in brown algae.
Human islets were then suspended in the custom bioink and printed slowly using an extrusion bioprinter. "Our goal was to recreate the natural environment of the pancreas so that the transplanted cells would survive and function better," explained Dr Perrier, adding, “We used a special bioink that mimics the support structure of the pancreas, giving islets the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive."
It is still a while away from being ready, though, as Dr Perrier indicates that the islets need to pass through clinical trials to progress, but there's no doubt that many diabetics across the world will be eagerly awaiting the results.