Bioprinting and Cellular Therapies for Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic autoimmune disease that results from the destruction of beta (beta) cells in the pancreatic islets, leading to loss of insulin production and resultant hyperglycemia. Recent developments in stem cell biology have generated much excitement for beta-cell replacement strategies; beta cells are one of many cell types in the complex islet environment and pancreas. In this Opinion, we discuss recent successful attempts to generate beta cells and how this can be coupled with bioprinting technologies in order to fabricate pancreas tissues, which holds great potential for type 1 diabetes. Possibilities of integrating vascularization and encapsulation in bioprinted tissues are expounded, and future prospects, such as pancreas-on-a-chip, are also presented.