Researchers have created a new technique for treating diabetes using a vital ink extracted from pancreatic tissues and 3D biomedic technology.
The study was conducted by researchers from Bohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea, published in the “Nature Communications” magazine, and was written by Yurik Alier.
Inside the pancreas are cells called Langerhens Islands, and they work to secrete insulin to reduce the level of blood sugar, and these cells control insulin secretion through their interaction with the surrounding components, such as supportive tissues and vascular cells, which helps to effectively regulate blood sugar in the blood, and scientists face great challenges when producing these cells to use them in treating the disease.
Stem cells are a promising source of generating Langerhens island cells in the laboratory, but the reinforcement of the exact environment and the vascular network that resembles the environment in the pancreas and which these cells need to work properly was a major obstacle in this process.
3D biotechnology
Biochemical printing is defined as the process of arranging substances and living cells in a way that is similar to the arrangement found in specific organs or tissues in the body, and the biological particles are designed to be geometrically printed through computer -based techniques, and a special type of ink is used to produce these particles.
The special ink that is used in printing consists of a vital material or a mixture of several biological materials in the form of aqueous gel (hydrogel), usually contains the types of cells required, and this solution is called biological ink.
In an attempt to provide the appropriate environment for the stem cells to generate the required cells, the research team has developed a special vital ink containing components that simulate the environment around Langerhens island cells, and contains proteins in the pancreas, and this ink is known as the matrix outside the cell-like cellular cell around the Peri-VISLT cells Niche-Like Extrasellular Matrix, which was symbolized by the “PINE”.
The team benefited from the 3D biotechnology technology to build a tissue model similar to the fabric in the pancreas, which controls insulin, and collects cells that resemble the Langerhens island cells with blood vessels. Cellular AGGREGTES and VASCULTURE).
The model that was created by the cells of the Langerhens Islands derived from the stem cells arranged accurately alongside vascular structures, thus simulating the real pancreas structure. The cultivated cells within the model showed an increase in insulin production, showing functional properties that compare the cells of the original Langerhens islands. It also showed satisfactory responses such as those we see in the event of diabetes.
Professor Gina Jang, a researcher participating in the study, said, “The dedicated technology that has been developed in this research simulates the structure and function of the human pancreas, which supports the maturity of the Langerhens island cells derived from stem cells and enhances its functions through them, and we expect this technique to play a major role in developing diabetes research, accelerating the development of anti -diabetes drugs, improving the efficiency of cell transplantation processes Langerhens. “