A 3D bioprinted hybrid encapsulation system for delivery of human pluripotent stem cell-derived pancreatic islet-like aggregates

Abstract Islet transplantation is a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes. However, treatment failure can result from loss of functional cells associated with cell dispersion, low viability, and severe immune response. To overcome these limitations, various islet encapsulation approaches have been introduced. Among them, macroencapsulation offers the advantages of delivering and retrieving a large volume of islets in one system. In this study, we developed a hybrid encapsulation system composed of a macroporous polymer capsule with stagger-type membrane and assemblable structure, and a nanoporous decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) hydrogel containing pancreatic islet-like aggregates using 3D bioprinting technique. The outer part (macroporous polymer capsule) was designed to have an interconnected porous architecture, which allows insulin-producing β -cells encapsulated in the hybrid encapsulation system to maintain their cellular behaviors, including viability, cell proliferation, and insulin-producing function. The inner part (nanoporous dECM hydrogel), composed of the 3D biofabricated pancreatic islet-like aggregates, was simultaneously placed into the macroporous polymer capsule in one step. The developed hybrid encapsulation system exhibited biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo in terms of M1 macrophage polarization. Furthermore, by controlling the printing parameters, we generated islet-like aggregates, improving cell viability and functionality. Moreover, the 3D bioprinted pancreatic islet-like aggregates exhibited structural maturation and functional enhancement associated with intercellular interaction occurring at the β -cell edges. In addition, we also investigated the therapeutic potential of a hybrid encapsulation system by integrating human pluripotent stem cell-derived insulin-producing cells, which are promising to overcome the donor shortage problem. In summary, these results demonstrated that the 3D bioprinting approach facilitates the fabrication of a hybrid islet encapsulation system with multiple materials and potentially improves the clinical outcomes by driving structural maturation and functional improvement of cells.