The pancreas is made up of multiple cell types and each cell type has specific biological functions, which are required for the control of sugar levels in our blood and food digestion.
There is a coordinated effort among different cells to perform their functions in the pancreas during development and in the mature pancreas. This coordination is mediated by signalling between cells via secretion of specific signalling molecules from one cell to another. In addition to communication between cells within the pancreas itself, there are also interactions between the cells of the pancreas and their external environment. These cell-cell and cell-environment interactions are essential for the pancreas to develop and function correctly.
The current methods used to study pancreatic diseases are not suitable to allow researchers to fully capture the complexity of the processes that occur during pancreatic development and normal functioning. 2D-culture conditions, in which a single layer of cells are grown in a dish, do not take into account critical cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions that are required for pancreatic cell formation and function. Additionally, existing partial 3D models (cultured islets or exocrine acini) do not survive for more than a few days in culture so cannot be used for extended study.
To fill this gap in effective research tools for the study of pancreatic diseases, the Pan3DP project aims to bio-engineer 3D pancreatic tissue that closely mimics the in vivo cellular organisation and structure of the pancreas using high-resolution bioprinting technology. In order to successfully and faithfully recapitulate the architecture and cell types present in the developing pancreas we are using the diverse expertise of our project partners.