Transplantation of Insulin-Producing β-Cells Through 3D Bioprinting: a New Direction in Endocrinology
Author: Boyadjieva, Nadka I., Varadinova, Miroslava G., Kerimov, Spas, Metodieva, Rositsa D.
Abstract:
The prevalence of diabetes continues to rise and the search for new methods and techniques to overcome insulin resistance and/or deliver the necessary insulin to the body is an extremely topical issue. Based on the methods developed for the differentiation of stem cells into pancreatic beta cells in recent years and their transplantation into patients with diabetes mellitus, the possibility of a new bioprinted tissue transplantation techno – logy, rich in insulin-producing beta cells, is being explored. There are three basic stages involved in this method: pre-processing preliminary stage of 3D model development and printing; bioprinting using a suspension of cells, matrix and nutrients, which as a complex is called “bioink”; post-processing after the bioprinting, which is the last step of making a stable structure of biological material. Various studies have been presented documenting both the specific features of 3D bioprinting of β-cells and the results of studying the anatomical and physiological activity of these cells to produce and secrete insulin. An important step in the treatment of patients is the transplantation of 3D bioprinted tissue constructs containing pancreatic β-cell differentiated from stem cells. At this stage, 12 week transplants with physiological insulin production and almost no risk to the immune system have been identified as successful in experimental mice.
Key words: 3D bioprinting, β-cells, insulin, diabetes mellitus.
