Project description
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.
Fields of science
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugs
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineendocrinologydiabetes
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineimmunology
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinetransplantation
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologycells technologies
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation action
Coordinator
1211 Geneve
Switzerland
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Participants (8)
13100 Vercelli
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69622 Villeurbanne Cedex
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20132 Milano
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80539 Muenchen
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8703 Erlenbach
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1013 BX Amsterdam
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8008 Zurich
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
3015 GD Rotterdam
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