Pancreatic tissue-precursors assembled by bioactive silk
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HÖGSKOLAN - Skolan för bioteknologi |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 4 997 827 |
| Project duration | December 2016 - November 2019 |
| Status | Completed |
Important results from the project
Within this project we have developed a new strategy for making artificial tissue by growing and differentiating selected cells for 3D transplantation with support of functionalized silk. As the first example of tissue we have focused on pancreatic tissue, where the need for artificial alternatives is great as this is something that patients with severe diabetes could be helped by.
Expected long term effects
A general method for integrating cells into 3D bioactive silk to construct tissue pieces has been developed. Method for in vitro conditioning of tissue pieces in silk, including formation of small blood vessels, has been developed. Protocol for differentiation of pancreatic progenitor cells from stem cells has been developed. The pancreatic progenitor cells have been integrated into 3D bioactive silk for transplantation where function could be verified.
Approach and implementation
To develop cell-based drugs, knowledge in several areas is needed, from cell source selection, biomaterials, bioprocess, to evaluation of the clinical application. Therefore, the project has been a collaboration between people with different complementary skills from 5 different academic labs at two universities (KTH and KI) and two companies (Spiber Technologies and Bmatrix). The project has been divided into 5 work packages that have been performed semi-parallel.