Bioprinting Islets Open Door for More Effective Diabetes Treatment

A recent study released by researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) opens the door for more effective diabetes research and treatment. The new approach leverages bioprinting to recreate pancreatic islet maturation. This development has the potential to help scientists gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of diabetes and save millions of lives.

What is Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic health condition characterized by elevated levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. This occurs either because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin—a hormone that helps move glucose from the bloodstream into the cells—or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin. Glucose is a vital source of energy for the body, and insulin plays a critical role in regulating its levels.

When this system malfunctions, glucose accumulates in the bloodstream rather than being used efficiently by cells. Over time, persistently high blood sugar can lead to serious complications, including damage to the nerves, heart, kidneys, eyes, and blood vessels.

Globally, diabetes is a growing concern. According to the International Diabetes Federation, approximately 10.5% of the world’s adult population lives with some form of the disease. In the United States, recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 38.1 million people—or roughly 11.6% of the population—have diabetes. The likelihood of developing the condition increases with age, and prevalence tends to be higher in developed nations, though rising sharply in developing regions as well.

There are several types of diabetes, but the two most common are Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body produces little or no insulin, making it unable to regulate blood sugar levels naturally. This causes glucose to build up in the bloodstream.

Type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed in children and young adults, which is why it has historically been referred to as “juvenile diabetes.” However, it can develop at any age. People with Type 1 diabetes require daily insulin therapy for life, as there is currently no cure. This form of diabetes accounts for about 5–10% of all diagnosed diabetes cases.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes globally. It occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin to meet the body's needs. Unlike Type 1, which is autoimmune in nature, Type 2 is largely associated with modifiable risk factors such as excess weight, poor diet, physical inactivity, and high blood pressure—although genetic predisposition also plays a role.

Type 2 diabetes typically develops gradually, often over many years, and may initially go unnoticed. Lifestyle changes such as improved diet, increased physical activity, and weight management are the first lines of treatment and can significantly reduce the risk or progression of the disease. In some cases, oral medications or insulin therapy may also be necessary.

Current Research and Treatments for Diabetes

The most common form of diabetes treatment is insulin shots or medications that make the body more sensitive to insulin. This approach has proven effective in preventing the disease from worsening. However, it requires lifelong shots, resulting in high treatment costs that never solve the cause of the ailment.

Recognizing the lack of a cure, scientists have begun attempting to recreate the conditions that allow diabetes to form. In this type of research, stem cells are used to generate pancreatic cells. These lab-grown cells allow drug manufacturers and treatment specialists to trial options without the need for a patient. As such, they are a vital component in the battle against diabetes.

Limitations of Current Diabetes Treatments

Years of research have shown that it's very difficult to recreate the environment of your pancreas in a manner that’s stable enough to utilize for research and testing. Engineers in the past noted that the lab-grown stem cell (SC)-derived pancreatic cells didn’t perform like their natural counterparts.

Researchers determined that this behavior was due to a lack of key characteristics found in the three-dimensional extracellular microenvironment and peri-vasculature of the pancreas. Thankfully, a team of innovative engineers has put forth a new approach that solves this issue, opening the door for more effective treatments.

Overview of the POSTECH Study

The study “Bioprinting of bespoke islet-specific niches to promote maturation of stem cell-derived islets“¹ published in Nature Communications introduces a novel method of creating pancreatic islets. The strategy relies on a printing technique that promotes the functional coordination of the pancreatic islets, extracellular matrix (ECM), and vasculature.

Source – POSTECH

Pancreatic Islets

Pancreatic islets are responsible for secreting insulin to keep your blood sugar levels in check. These islets are home to many endocrine hormonal cells that play a vital role in your body's development and operations. Specifically, here you find insulin-producing β cells, glucagon-producing α cells, and somatostatin-producing δ cells.

Extracellular Matrix (ECM)

Notably, the pancreatic islets sit within an Extracellular Matrix (ECM) that is packed with proteins and biomolecules that are vital to the structural and biochemical growth of your cells. As such, any disruption to the ECM can negatively affect your body's glucose production.

Notably, research shows that your ECM is composed of only around 2% of basement membrane (BM) proteins. These proteins have been found to be crucial in glucose production where they are responsible for stabilizing the ECM-binding affinity of endocrine cells and integrin signaling.

Vasculature

An extensive network of veins supplies blood flow to your pancreatic islets and ECM. This vasculature helps to supply the ECM with the nutrients it needs to help support the islets and their core task of secreting insulin to reduce blood sugar levels.

The Role of 3D Bioprinting in the Study

Bioprinting is a form of 3D printing that utilizes living growing materials. It can be utilized to fabricate complex bio environments that are ideal for testing and research purposes. In this study, The engineers create bioprinting-based geometric guidance to reconstruct the spatial arrangement of natural islet peripheries.

The HICA-V Platform

The new printing strategy dubbed HICA-V is capable of creating stem cell-derived islet cells alongside vascular structures, just like those found in the body. Specifically, the system uses geometrical guidance to recreate the spatial pattern of islet peripheries. This strategy allowed engineers to recreate pancreatic conditions in a manner that allowed the islets to fully develop.

Additionally, the study details how the team bioengineered vivo-like pancreatic niches. They accomplished the task by achieving the proper combination of pancreatic tissue-specific extracellular matrix and basement membrane proteins.

PINE Bioink: Recreating the Pancreatic Environment

The team needed to create a new type of bioink to accomplish their goal of recreating pancreatic islet conditions. To accomplish this task, the scientist developed a specialized bioink called PINE (Peri-islet Niche-like ECM).

Notably, this ink variant includes vital components to islet growth like an ECM complete with basement membrane proteins. Interestingly, the engineers create the ink using extracts from actual pancreatic tissue to obtain laminin and collagen IV.

Experimental Procedures and Testing

The team created multiple tests to ensure their discovery was accurate. They begin by preparing decellularized porcine pancreatic tissue. They also utilized an aggregation process using spinner flasks to generate islet-like clusters that were very similar to natural versions.

Results of the POSTECH Study

The results of their testing reveal that the cells cultured within the HICA-V platform demonstrated characteristics comparable to native islets. The printed versions demonstrated increased insulin production. Additionally, the engineers were able to reproduce pathological responses seen in diabetic conditions.

The results show that the printing method can produce the structure and function of the human endocrine pancreas. It allowed the printed cells to fully develop into working islets, opening the door for advanced research and new-age treatments.

Diabetes Treatment Benefits

There are several benefits that make this research a huge discovery. For one, it provides a stable and easily accessible testing option for drug manufacturers and healthcare professionals seeking to monitor the effectiveness of their treatments.

Another huge benefit is the ability to create using a 3D printer. This approach is more stable and easier to access. Additionally, it provides duplicatable results that can be shared instantaneously with other researchers seeking to create islets for their studies.

Meet the Research Team

The Diabetes treatment report was led by POSTECH Professor Jonah Jang. Additionally,  Myungji Kim,  Seungyeun Cho, Dong Gyu Hwang, In Kyong Shim, Song Cheol Kim, Jiwon Jang, and Jinah Jang assisted in the research and writing of the paper.

Notably, the project received funding from various sources including a grant funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korean Fund for Regenerative Medicine funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Alchemist Project funded By the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy.

Applications and Timelines

There are several applications for this technology. For one, this research and enhanced 3D printing method will act as a valuable tool for diabetes research and drug development. It will allow engineers to test their drugs on living cells to ensure that they have a firm understanding of all side effects and effectiveness.

This maneuver should accelerate anti-diabetic drug development and open the door for pancreatic islet transplants in patients who have no insulin production. These cells will also help scientists better understand how outside factors like pollution and the environment affect your pancreatic islets.

Given the severe medical conditions that diabetes can lead to, there is considerable support to drive this procedure through all testing phases and to the public as soon as possible. As such, you could see this technology introduced within the next 5 years.

Companies Leading in Innovation in Diabetes Treatments

Treating diabetes is big business and drug manufacturers continue to invest heavily into creating better options. From companies offering at-home testing to those providing drugs and treatments, there are a lot of players in the diabetic healthcare arena. Here’s one company that has managed to carve a niche.

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc

Halozyme Therapeutics (HALO +1.28%) entered the market in 1998 seeking to introduce novel drug delivery methods. The company is based out of San Diego, CA. It went public in 2004 and has since grown to become a dominant force in the biotech sector.

Halozyme Therapeutics offers a variety of products including new-age disruptive drug delivery methods. Its top products include best-in-class auto-injector devices. These units are derived from patented recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme (rHuPH20) that enables the delivery of injectable biologics directly from an easy-to-use device.

Those seeking to gain access to the healthcare sectors should do more research into Halozyme Therapeutics. The company has a proven record for success and has seen considerable growth over the last five years. Currently, HALO is on an upswing with many analysts predicting this trend to increase as the company continues to refine and introduce new products.

Latest on Halozyme Therapeutics

A Brighter Future for Diabetes Treatment

When you examine the importance of this research, it's easy to see that there are a lot of people who could utilize these findings to achieve relief from their conditions. Diabetes is a serious disease, and as the environment and eating habits continue to worsen, the number of those suffering from this ailment will increase. As such, this study offers a rare opportunity to gain a better understanding of how to prevent and eliminate diabetes in the future.

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Studies Referenced:

^{1. Kim, M., Cho, S., Hwang, D.G. et al. Bioprinting of bespoke islet-specific niches to promote maturation of stem cell-derived islets. Nat Commun 16, 1430 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56665-5}