ADA Presentations Highlight Superior Functionality of InSphero Standardized Islet Microtissues for Diabetes Drug Screening
ETH Zurich researchers present a single-islet study using a novel microfluidic setup to display an in vivo-like temporal insulin response to high glucose.
Schlieren, Switzerland - June 19, 2017 - InSphero AG highlighted the unique advantages of its physiologically relevant 3D InSight™ Islet Microtissue Platform to drive more efficient development of anti-diabetic drugs at the American Diabetes Association 77th Scientific Sessions in San Diego, CA. Also, a pioneering study describing a microfluidic single islet perifusion platform developed by researchers at the ETH Zurich was presented during open and moderated poster sessions held during the conference.
Dr. Burcak Yesildag, islet product manager at InSphero and presenter of the study at ADA, says, “Loss of first phase, reduction in the second phase, and impairment of the oscillatory pattern of insulin secretion are characteristic features of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the study of dynamic insulin release with in vitro perifusion assays is a crucial component of pancreatic islet research. However, inherent heterogeneity in islet size and composition necessitates pooling of multiple islets for each experimental condition, which entails inefficient use of donor material and decreased experimental resolution due to uncoordinated inter-islet function.”
InSphero 3D InSight™ Islet Microtissues - uniform in size, cellular composition, and function – were combined with a novel microfluidic system engineered by Dr. Andreas Hierlemann’s research group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH). The microfluidic system facilitates rapid glucose switches and short sampling intervals, making it possible to study dynamic insulin secretion at the single-islet level in vitro.
Says Yesildag, “ETH observed an organotypic biphasic and pulsatile secretion of insulin from our islet microtissues, which was physiologically modulated by various insulin secretagogues. The results very closely mirrored the magnitude and frequency of the response seen in humans. This collaboration provides further evidence that the in vivo-like functionality of our islet model makes it a powerful new tool for islet researchers to help accelerate anti-diabetic drug development.”
3D InSight™ Islet Microtissues are a standardized primary islet model developed by InSphero that displays organotypic function with an average 13-fold increase in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) for at least 28 days in culture.
For more information about InSphero's 3D InSight™ Islet Microtissues, watch the video.
