Towards pancreatic tissue bioprinting : unveiling embryonic cellular topological relationships and extracellular matrix properties

Bioprinting is an emerging technology that holds great potential for creating reliable models for biomedical research. However, the current limitations of this technology prevent the production of complex and functional organs like the adult pancreas. To overcome these challenges, our Pan3DP consortium has proposed a strategy that involves mimicking the simpler architecture and composition of the embryonic pancreas. This strategy nevertheless requires detailed knowledge on the localization and interactions between cells forming the embryonic pancreas to instruct the bioprinter as well as an improved understanding of the properties of the extracellular matrix to select appropriate bioink. These two points constitute the goals of my PhD project and should pave the way for the bioprinting of 3-dimensional biounits of the pancreas to study pancreatic diseases and testing potential therapeutic agents.