| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Engineered vasculature induces functional maturation of pluripotent stem cell-derived islet organoids |
| Creators: |
Jun, Yesl, Nguyen-Ngoc, Kim-Vy, Sai, Somesh |
| Abstract: | Blood vessels play a critical role in pancreatic islet function, yet current methods for deriving islet organoids from human pluripotent stem cells (SC-islets) lack vasculature. We engineered three-dimensional (3D) vascularized SC-islet organoids by assembling SC-islet cells, human primary endothelial cells (ECs), and fibroblasts in a non-perfused model and a microfluidic device with perfused vessels. Vasculature improved stimulus-dependent Ca(2+) influx into SC-β cells, a hallmark of β cell function that is blunted in non-vascularized SC-islets. Moreover, vascularization accelerated diabetes reversal post engraftment of a subtherapeutic SC-islet dose into mice. We show that vasculature leads to the formation of an islet-like basement membrane that contributes to the functional improvement of SC-β cells. Furthermore, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data predicted BMP2/4-BMPR2 signaling from ECs to SC-β cells, and correspondingly, BMP4 enhanced the SC-β cell Ca(2+) response and insulin secretion. Vascularized SC-islets will enable further studies of crosstalk between β cells and ECs and will serve as an in vitro platform for disease modeling and therapeutic testing. |
| Keywords: | Organoid, Islet, Human Pluripotent Stem Cells, Vasculature, Endothelial Cells, Β Cells, Microfluidic Device, Ca(2+) Imaging, Engraftment, Diabetes, Animals, Mice |
| Source: | Developmental Cell |
| ISSN: | 1534-5807 |
| Publisher: | Cell Press / Elsevier |
| Volume: | 60 |
| Number: | 18 |
| Page Range: | 2455-2469.e7 |
| Date: | 22 September 2025 |
| Official Publication: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2025.04.024 |
| PubMed: | View item in PubMed |
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