Distribution of insulin secreting cells in a bioartificial pancreas MailPan® using 3D X-ray tomography

The bioartificial pancreas MailPan® aims at restoring insulin supply for diabetic patient. It hosts insulin secreting cells that have to survive and deliver insulin. While the mechanical resistance once implanted was validated through experiments at ESRF in 2014 (PhD, paper online), the inner of the device still needs optimization. To extend cell survival, a structured 3D environment was brought in the device. In order to understand what is happening inside, how the cells are evolving, the repartition of insulin secreting cells at different time (D0, D5, D14, D30) must be studied. However, the opacity of the device prevents to use classical microscopy. It is thus crucial to carry out such X-ray microtomography experiments at the ESRF, with high energy and flux to pass through, as well has high resolution but to detect all the constitutive elements. The results will clearly demonstrate if the MailPan®’s 3D environment is beneficial and will influence the final design.