Year
2020
Degree Name
Master of Philosophy
Department
School of Chemistry
Abstract
Type-1 Diabetes (T1D) is an auto-immune disease in which the insulin-producing β-cells in the islets of Langerhans are destroyed, affecting over 20 million patients worldwide. Islet transplantation may offer a viable treatment strategy, but transplanted islet lifespan is limited by auto- and allo-immune responses and poor engraftment upon transplantation. Biofabrication of tissue engineered constructs encapsulating islets may offer a viable strategy, as this encapsulation may allow for immune-protection of the islets and circumvent issues associated with engraftment. Here, we describe for the first time a single-step fabrication procedure for tissue constructs incorporating isolated mouse islets with supporting endothelial progenitor cells. A platform for the fabrication of these constructs through co-axial micro-extrusion (Dual Ink Co-axial Bioprinter-1; DICAB-1) was first established, characterised and found to be biocompatible with MS1 and β-TC-6 cell lines (endothelial and beta-cells of murine origin, respectively). Bioprinted islets were found to survive fabrication procedures as well as secrete considerable amounts of insulin, albeit with substantial variability and with sub-optimal glucose responsivity. These results constitute a major step towards the development of a sophisticated platform in which constructs incorporating islets, supporting cells and immune protection can be fabricated in a single-step process.
Recommended Citation
Renes, Max Jurie, Development of a Platform for the Biofabrication of Endocrine Pancreatic Tissue Constructs through Co-Axial Micro-Extrusion, Master of Philosophy thesis, School of Chemistry, University of Wollongong, 2020. https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses1/1032
FoR codes (2008)
0305 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, 0601 BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY, 1004 MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY, 1199 OTHER MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong.