Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) have made significant progress in the fight against type 1 diabetes. A research team was able to control blood sugar levels in diabetic mice using an innovative hydrogel that supports implanted insulin-producing cells.
The success of this experiment opens the door to the development of a bioartificial pancreas that can go beyond traditional transplantation methods and eliminate the need for insulin injections. The results achieved within the European VANGUARD project are published in the journal. Biotechnology trends.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, leading to chronic imbalances in blood sugar levels. People with this condition must inject insulin every day for the rest of their lives. Transplanting pancreatic islets, small clusters of cells that produce insulin and other hormones, temporarily restores blood sugar control and eliminates the need for insulin injections.
However, this method is limited by the lack of donors and the high risk of rejection. Additionally, when islets are injected into the liver, the standard transplant site, the islets suffer from inflammation, loss of natural supporting matrix, and poor blood supply, all of which jeopardize their survival.
A team from UNIGE and HUG, led by Ekaterin Belishvili, associate professor in the Department of Surgery and Diabetes Center of the Faculty of Medicine at UNIGE and head of the Cell Isolation and Transplantation Laboratory at the Transplant Service of the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), has developed an innovative hydrogel called amniotic fluid gel designed to overcome these obstacles.
This material, derived from human amnion (the innermost layer of membranes that surrounds the fetus and is readily available from the placenta after birth), restores survival signals lost during islet isolation and allows the microvascular network to self-assemble within the construct before implantation. Once implanted, this preformed network connects to the host’s blood supply and supports durable graft function. Clinical tests suggest that the gel also slows the migration of cytotoxic immune cells, which may help protect the graft early after transplantation.
Normal blood sugar levels for at least 100 days
This gel creates a protective, natural-like environment that embeds the islets with angiogenic cells. Before transplantation, these cells self-organize into a network of microvessels surrounding the islet, so the graft arrives vascularized. ”
Ekaterin Belishvili, Associate Professor, University of Geneva
Successfully transplanted into diabetic mice, this construct (a thin disc-shaped graft approximately 9 mm in diameter) was able to maintain normoglycemic levels for at least 100 days, the entire follow-up period, outperforming both islets transplanted alone and constructs with unmodified vasculature. Amniogel is manufactured through a GMP-compliant process, which is a key requirement for future clinical applications.
Approaching clinical application
“This experimental evidence represents a decisive step towards the development of a functional bioartificial pancreas,” the researchers enthused. “The next step to consider clinical applications is to create larger grafts, or more grafts, to meet the requirements for use in humans.” Additionally, amniogel can be used to house many other cell types, paving the way for cell transplantation therapies beyond diabetes.
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Reference magazines:
Bellofat, K. others (2026). Implantable angiogenic endocrine constructs for clinically scalable insulin delivery. Biotechnology trends. DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2026.03.020. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167779926001290.
