Project description DEENESFRITPL Pancreatic organoid could end insulin injections for type 1 diabetes The food we eat supplies our bodies with critical energy throughout the day. Digested food enters the bloodstream as glucose, to be absorbed by other cells with the help of insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas. In diabetes, circulating blood glucose levels are too high. Type 2 diabetes, attributable to diminished capacity to make or use insulin, is treated with lifestyle changes and oral medication. In type 1 diabetes, however, the pancreas makes no insulin at all, and daily insulin shots are required. The EU-funded VANGUARD project is developing an implantable artificial pancreas, an insulin-producing organoid of biological origin. Just the right combination of cell types and hydrogel will encourage growth and vascularisation of functional tissue, and ensure biocompatibility, safety and efficacy. The team plans to make the treatment accessible to all patients. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Forty million individuals worldwide suffer from type 1 diabetes. This disease is managed by insulin therapy in a vast majority of patients because of the limited accessibility of beta cell replacement therapies (pancreas or islet of Langerhans transplantation). There is an urgent need for the development of a beta cell replacement therapy that will be available to larger numbers of type 1 diabetic patients. The VANGUARD project aims to deliver an Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Product (ATMP) of high translational potential, with properties of increased functionality and implantability and protection from immune destruction. We will construct a bioartificial pancreas by assembling insulin- producing organoids, composed of islet cells, human amniotic epithelial cells (hAEC) and blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs), into an amniotic membrane-derived hydrogel. Components of the amniotic membrane will provide extracellular matrix and mechanical protection and confer their well-defined anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties to the constructs. hAECs will be genome-edited to overexpress and locally release immunomodulatory molecules (HLA-G, HLA-E, CD47 and PD-L1) and endothelial cells will enhance graft revascularization. Functionality, biocompatibility, potency and safety of the bioartificial pancreas will be assessed in vitro and in vivo by implantation in mice reconstituted with a human immune system as pre-clinical model. The consortium consists of 5 academic institutions with leading scientists in their field, 2 SMEs and 1 NGO with expertise in ethical and social aspects of transplantation. The ATMP delivered upon completion of the project will provide a model for rapid development of a bioartificial pancreas, utilizing “infinite” sources of insulin-producing cells (stem cell-derived, xenogeneic), and available to all type 1 diabetic patients before they develop the devastating chronic complications of the disease. Fields of science medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsmedical and health sciencesclinical medicineendocrinologydiabetesmedical and health sciencesbasic medicineimmunologymedical and health sciencesclinical medicinetransplantationmedical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologycells technologies Programme(s) H2020-EU.3.1. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Health, demographic change and well-being Main Programme H2020-EU.3.1.3. - Treating and managing disease Topic(s) SC1-BHC-07-2019 - Regenerative medicine: from new insights to new applications Call for proposal H2020-SC1-BHC-2018-2020 See other projects for this call Sub call H2020-SC1-2019-Single-Stage-RTD Funding Scheme RIA - Research and Innovation action Coordinator UNIVERSITE DE GENEVE Net EU contribution € 1 995 946,25 Address Rue du general dufour 24 1211 Geneve Switzerland See on map Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Région lémanique Genève Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Participants (8) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DEL PIEMONTE ORIENTALE AMEDEO AVOGADRO Italy Net EU contribution € 936 875,00 Address Duomo 6 13100 Vercelli See on map Region Nord-Ovest Piemonte Vercelli Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 UNIVERSITE LYON 1 CLAUDE BERNARD France Net EU contribution € 523 812,50 Address Boulevard du 11 novembre 1918 num43 69622 Villeurbanne cedex See on map Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes Rhône Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 OSPEDALE SAN RAFFAELE SRL Italy Net EU contribution € 1 049 500,00 Address Via olgettina 60 20132 Milano See on map Region Nord-Ovest Lombardia Milano Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN Germany Net EU contribution € 804 375,00 Address Geschwister scholl platz 1 80539 Muenchen See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 KUGELMEIERS AG Switzerland Net EU contribution € 701 250,00 Address Bahnhofstrasse 40 8703 Erlenbach See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Zürich Zürich Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION Netherlands Net EU contribution € 55 000,00 Address Westerdoksdijk 423 1013 BX Amsterdam See on map Region West-Nederland Noord-Holland Groot-Amsterdam Activity type Other Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 ACCELOPMENT SCHWEIZ AG Switzerland Net EU contribution € 384 750,00 Address Seefeldstrasse 198 8008 Zurich See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Zürich Zürich Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM Netherlands Net EU contribution € 393 116,25 Address Dr molewaterplein 40 3015 GD Rotterdam See on map Region West-Nederland Zuid-Holland Groot-Rijnmond Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00