
ENLIGHT Project Kick-off
The ENLIGHT Project Kicked off on May 1 2021. The consortium has 8 partners and is coordinated by the UMC Utrecht.

iPSC Differentiation
Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are differentiated to obtain the cell that compose pancreatic islets

Gelatin-based hydrogel
Cells are then embedded in a 3D environment provided by a newly developed hydrogel that mimics the tissue matrix of the pancreas. This is developed by our partner Rousselot.

3D Light Printing
Via volumetric bioprinting, large, centimeter scale constructs are produced in less than 1 minute. These are made of the cells and hydrogel from Step 1 and Step 2. They are produced to make a network of islets connected by channels that mimic the vasculature (blood vessels)

Maintainence of Islet Network
Via perfusion of the printed vessels, the network of pancreatic islet cells can be kept alive and healthy during culture in the lab for an extended period of time allowing for testing the response to long-term drug treatments for diabetes.

Testing New Treatments for Diabetes
By the end of the project in 2025, bioprinted tissues will be used to test new treatments for diabetes as alternatives to animal models in vitro. In addition, bioprinted tissues are tested for their ability to produce insulin and regulate glucose metabolism in vivo (rescue impair pancreatic function).