AstraZeneca Relies on 3D InSight™ Human Islet Microtissues in Pancreatic Beta-cell Study
InSphero human islet model helps reveal the effects of gene silencing on pancreatic cell function using novel antisense oligonucleotide technology
Schlieren, Switzerland – November 29, 2018 – In a recent study published in ScienceAdvances, researchers in the Innovative Medicines and Early Development (IMED) Biotech Unit of AstraZeneca used InSphero 3D InSight™ Human Islet Microtissues to evaluate the effects of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in human pancreatic beta-cells.
A promising new class of therapeutic molecules, ASOs are short, chemically modified, single-stranded nucleic acids that can silence any gene product of interest. The AstraZeneca research team, headed by Dr. Carina Ämmälä, Team Leader in Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolism (CVRM) at IMED, engineered a novel targeted delivery approach for ASO uptake specifically by pancreatic beta-cells. They successfully demonstrated that the ASO target gene in beta-cells could be silenced without affecting gene expression in other cell types.
InSphero partners with pharmaceutical companies to provide comprehensive solutions and disease models for investigators engaged in type 1 and type 2 diabetes research and drug development. 3D InSight™ Islet Microtissue models are standardized primary islets that display homogeneous and native-like distribution of endocrine cells as well as uniform, long-term (> 28 days), and robust islet function. The 3D InSight™ Diabetes Discovery Platform is ideal for high-throughput and longitudinal studies of pancreatic islet function, regeneration, and preservation in health and disease.
Further reading about the pancreatic beta-cells
To read the ScienceAdvances paper, visit “Targeted delivery of antisense oligonucleotides to pancreatic beta-cells.“
To learn more about the AstraZeneca IMED Biotech Unit, read the Science Section on AstraZeneca’s website.
