In 2015 there were 415 million people in the world with, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and the number is expected to increase to 642 million in 2040. The annual costs associated with diabetes are estimated to be more than 827 billion US$. Beta cell replacement (islet transplantation) has been performed since 2000 and is now used in several hospitals worldwide including the Oslo University Hospital. However, limited supply of functional islets, quality of tissue for extracting islets, and the need of immunosuppression hamper the potential of insulin producing beta cell replacement. Although the rapid development of stem cell technologies gives hope for unlimited cell supply in the future, the functionality of stem cell derived beta cells, and long term viable cell delivery are bottle necks.
In collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), and the Norwegian Biotech start-up CELLHEAL, the research team led by Dr. Hanne Scholz aims to develop new solutions for diabetic patients.
3D Bioprinting enables to biofabricate tissue and organs by depositing with high precision several types of cells in predetermined patterns. By using insulin producing cells from deceased donor and adult stem cells from the patient’s own fat tissue, researchers believe that they can form 3D-printed device that could accommodate insulin producing tissue that subsequently can be transplanted into the body of patients with type 1 diabetes.
The project has been so far supported by Innovation Norway, and Oslo University Hospital. Scientists will present their results at TERMIS conference in Kyoto in September 2018.
Read the complete article here: https://www.tv2.no/nyheter/9884034/