(Eurekalert) London, United Kingdom) A team of international scientists has made a major leap forward in diabetes research by successfully 3D printing functional human islets using a novel bioink. Presented today at the ESOT Congress 2025, the new technology could pave the way for more effective and less invasive treatment options for people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D).1
The breakthrough involved printing human islets – the insulin-producing clusters of cells in the pancreas – using a customised bioink made from alginate and decellularised human pancreatic tissue. This approach produced durable, high-density islet structures that remained alive and functional for up to three weeks, maintaining strong insulin responses to glucose and showing real potential for future clinical use.2
Traditional islet transplants are typically infused into the liver, a process that can result in significant loss of cells and limited long-term success. In contrast, the 3D-printed islets in this study were designed to be implanted just under the skin, a simple procedure requiring only local anaesthesia and a small incision. This minimally invasive approach could offer a safer and more comfortable option for patients.3
“Our goal was to recreate the natural environment of the pancreas so that transplanted cells would survive and function better,” explained lead author Dr. Quentin Perrier. “We used a special bioink that mimics the support structure of the pancreas, giving islets the oxygen and nutrients they need to thrive.”
To keep the fragile human islets safe during printing, the team created a gentler way to print by fine-tuning key settings – using low pressure (30 kPa) and a slow print speed (20 mm per minute). This careful approach reduced physical stress on the islets and helped keep their natural shape, solving a major problem that had held back earlier bioprinting attempts.
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References:
1. Perrier Q., Jeong, W., Rengaraj, A., et al. Breakthrough in 3D printing: Functional human islets in an alginate-decm bioink. Presented at ESOT Congress 2025; 30 June 2025; London, UK.
2. Asthana, A., Amanda, E., Suárez, G., Lozano, T., N Byers, L., Ho-Heo, J., Jeong, W., Tamburrini, T., Rengaraj, A., Chaimov, D., Perrier, Q., Tomei, A., A Fraker, A., Jin Lee, S., Orlando, G. Comprehensive biocompatibility profiling of human pancreas-derived biomaterial. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., Sec. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Volume 13 - 2025, doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.151866
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/b ... 665/full
3. Rajkumari, N., Shalayel, I., Tubbs, E., Perrier, Q., Chabert C., Lablanche, S., Benhamou, P., Arnol C., Gredy, L., Divoux, T., Stephan, O., Zebda, A., van der Sanden, B. Matrix design for optimal pancreatic β cells transplantation. Biomaterials Advances, Volume 164, November 2024, 213980
