Project description
3D bioprinting for diabetes treatment
People with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) cannot produce insulin because their immune system destroys the cells that make it. Insulin injections help manage blood sugar levels, but do not replicate the body’s natural regulation process. Scientists have been working on 3D microspheres that hold insulin-producing cells for transplants or drug testing. However, current methods for making these microspheres are slow, inconsistent, and often rely on materials that do not fully support cell growth. The ERC-funded UNIINK project is developing a new 3D bioprinting technique to create better microspheres. Using a material that mimics the body’s natural environment and strengthening it with tannic acid, UNIINK enhances nutrient delivery and cell survival. This breakthrough could bring new hope to T1DM patients.
Objective
Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM) results from autoimmune destruction of pancreatic insulin-producing -cells. Nowadays, insulin injections remain the leading therapeutic option. However, injection treatment fails to emulate the highly dynamic insulin release that -cells provide. During the last years, 3D cell-laden microspheres have been proposed as a major platform for bioengineering insulin-secreting constructs for tissue graft implantation and a model for in vitro drug screening platforms.
Current microsphere fabrication technologies have several drawbacks: the need for an oil phase containing surfactants, diameter inconsistency of the microspheres, and high time-consuming processes, among others. These technologies have widely used alginate for its rapid gelation, high processability, and low cost. However, its low biocompatible properties do not provide effective cell attachment. To overcome these limitations, Uniink proposes a high-throughput 3D bioprinting methodology that employs an ECM-like microenvironment for effective cell-laden microsphere production. Crosslinking the resulting microspheres with tannic acid (TA) prevents collagenase degradation and enhances spherical structural consistency while allowing the diffusion of nutrients and oxygen. In addition, the approach allows customization of microsphere diameter with extremely low variability. In conclusion, we will develop in Uniink a novel bio-printing procedure to fabricate large amounts of reproducible microspheres capable of secreting insulin in response to extracellular glucose stimuli. We expect that Uniink will represent a valid alternative to islet transplantation in T1DM patients, thus bringing cell therapy closer to the application in humans.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine endocrinology diabetes
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine transplantation
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-POC2
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08028 Barcelona
Spain
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