Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School

Polish surgeon prints bionic pancreas

The first bionic pancreas is expected to be implanted in a patient as early as 2026. Transplant surgeon Professor Michał Wszoła has made a breakthrough in medicine by creating a bionic pancreas using 3D bioprinting technology. This innovative solution could revolutionize diabetes treatment and organ transplantation. 

Bioprinting as an answer to the transplant crisis 

The number of people in need of transplants many times exceeds the number of available organs. Bioprinting opens the way to produce personalized organs for patients. Prof. Michal Wszoła has used it to develop a bionic pancreas, which he plans to implant it in the first patient as early as next year. 

How does the bionic pancreas work? 

The bionic pancreas developed by the team of Prof. Wszoła, chairman of the Scientific Council of the Foundation for Research and Development of Science and president of Polbionica, restores the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels. The key to its success is bioprinting, which allows the structure of the organ to be reconstructed along with the vascular system.  The bioprinting process resembles the work of a precision printer. A mixture of the patient’s cells and a substance that mimics the natural matrix (the structure that supports the cells) is inserted into a syringe. The bioprinter arranges this material layer by layer to form the shape of the organ. From a second syringe, bioink is added to form a network of blood vessels. Once the process is complete and the material is heated, the structure becomes ready to function in the body.  The finished organ is stored in a bioreactor, where it is nourished by a special perfusion fluid. This allows it to be safely transported to the hospital and implanted in the patient. 

Groundbreaking research and hope for patients 

The team of researchers has already completed a key phase of preclinical testing. The bionic pancreas has been successfully transplanted into pigs, which is an important step towards human testing. Prof. Wszoła announced that clinical trials will begin in the coming year, and the first transplantation in humans could be performed in 2026. 

The 3D bionic pancreas project, which is being carried out by Polbionica and the Foundation for Research and Development of Science, has received funding from NCRD under the STRATEGMED III program. Consortium partners in the program are M. Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw Medical University (WUM), Infant Jesus Clinical Hospital, Injury Treatment Center and MediSpace Company. 

Polbionics’ new project “3D bioprinted bionic pancreas as a therapy for type 1 diabetes” has been recommended for funding of more than PLN 10.8 million in the NCRD’s “Seal of Excellence” call under the FENG EIC Accelerator funding program. 

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