Biochip for endocrinologists
A "pancreas-on-a-chip" has been created for diabetes research
With the help of organ-on-a-chip technology and stem cells, scientists from Harvard University have created a model of pancreatic islets. This tool will help in the study of diabetes and transplantation of insulin-producing beta cells to patients, reports Harvard newspaper. The results of the work are published in the journal Lab on Chip (Glieberman et al., Synchronized stimulation and continuous insulin sensing in a microfluidic human Islet on a Chip designed for scalable manufacturing).
The "design" of the new organ-on-a–chip repeats the structure of pancreatic islets (islets of Langerhans) - clusters of endocrine cells in the pancreas, which receive a continuous stream of information about blood glucose levels and, if necessary, adjust insulin production.
"If we want to cure diabetes, we need to restore a person's ability to produce and deliver insulin," explains Douglas Melton, one of the directors of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI). – Beta cells, which are produced in the pancreas, measure sugar and secrete insulin, and they usually do it very well. But in diabetic patients, these cells may not function properly. Now we can use stem cells to create healthy beta cells for patients."
However, before transplanting beta cells to a patient, they need to be checked to make sure they are functioning properly. Today, the verification takes place according to the technology of the 1970s: all actions (collecting samples, measurements, etc.) are performed manually and therefore take a lot of time. A new automated miniature device gives results in real time – so specialists can quickly make clinical decisions.
The "pancreas-on-a-chip" distributes islands of cells along separate lines, delivers glucose to each of them simultaneously and determines how much insulin is produced. The device facilitates the selection of drugs that stimulate the release of insulin, the testing of beta cells derived from stem cells, and the study of pancreatic islets in basic research.
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