ISCT 2021 | Developing the bioartificial pancreas

Ekaterine Berishvili, MD, PhD, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, describes ongoing research towards the development of the bioartificial pancreas for the treatment of type I diabetes, through the use of a range of tissue engineering, immune modulation and genome editing strategies. Given their immunomodulatory characteristics, he discusses strategies under investigation that utilize placental derivatives, as well as the development of placenta extracellular matrix-based biomaterials. The generation and transplantation of insulin-secreting organoids into a diabetic mouse model demonstrated successful engraftment, vascularization and therapeutic benefit. This interview took place during the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting 2021.