Four to five million people in Europe and about 80 million worldwide suffer from type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent), characterized by a deficiency in insulin secretion resulting in hyperglycaemia responsible for debilitating long-term complications (coronary diseases, acquired blindness, chronic renal failures). Recently developed immunosuppressive protocols improved the success of human allogenic pancreatic islets transplantation. However, such transplantation has severe limitations: the number of available donors and the potential toxicity of the immunosuppressive treatments. To avoid immunosupression, islets could be encapsulated to protect them from the attack of the immune system and thus from rejection.

This project intends to develop, improve and validate an efficient reliable bioartificial pancreas for human application. To achieve this ambitious goal, various disciplines are integrated in a true task force of basic and clinical researchers with leading expertise in experimental diabetes and advanced modern material technologies to develop an effective approach for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. The proposed approach takes into account the far-reaching advances in the modern nanosize technology, which are of utmost importance for the success of this challenge.

To carry out the project to a successful achievement, the consortium gathers a multidisciplinary group of leading European scientists with complementary competencies, spanding from biomaterials to tissue engineering, and high-tech SMEs. This transnational approach provides convincing solutions to bypass the limitations of traditional treatments of this disease. That proposal fits perfectly within the scope of Priority Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, 3.4.1, in particular Nano-biotechnologies, 3.4.1.2. Furthermore, the proposal addressed also the 3.4.1.5, Application in areas such as health and medical systems, chemistry, energy, optics, food and environment, and matches also the Integration of nanotechnologies, new materials and new production technologies for improved security and quality of life, 3.4.4. specifically 3.4.4.2. Tissue engineering, new biomimetic and bio-hybrid systems. Last but not least, such a device will improve the security of adequate insulin administration avoiding both unwanted hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes and thereby improve the quality of life of patients.