BetaCell Birmingham

The BetaCell Birmingham facility currently supports academics across the UK with insulin secreting organoids derived from human stem cells for diabetes research but demand exceeds supply. Ildem and the team will expand the production capacity of the facility by transitioning to a larger perfusion-based suspension bioreactor and introducing automation. This will increase the number of organoids they can provide to researchers to replace mouse-derived islets, replacing up to 45,000 mice used in diabetes research in the UK each year.

This award was made as part of the 2024 non-animal methods infrastructure grants supported with funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition that occurs when the pancreatic beta-cells are destroyed (Type I) or unable to secrete sufficient insulin (Type II) to effectively regulate blood glucose levels. Diabetes impacts over 400 million people worldwide, making it the 8th leading cause of death and disability. Additionally, it serves as a significant risk factor for the 1st and 2nd leading causes of death, namely cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The financial burden is immense, with treatments consuming approximately 10% of global health expenditure, equating to around €900 billion annually. Consequently, diabetes research is a crucial and substantial component of medical research efforts both in the UK and globally.

Obtaining human pancreatic islets for research is challenging, as only those considered unsuitable for transplantation are available for study. Consequently, most research teams investigating beta-cell function rely on islets from animal models, particularly mice. Developing a reliable, cost-effective, and higher-quality source of beta cells for diabetes research from an in vitro source could significantly reduce the reliance on animal models.

BetaCell Birmingham (BCB) was established in 2023 as a non-profit facility under the umbrella of the University of Birmingham’s technology platform, TechHub to help support research into diabetes by providing access to stem cell generated pancreatic beta cell clusters (SBCs). BCB employs a state of the art differentiation protocol that guides stem cell organoids through stages of development, resulting in pancreatic islet-like structures that are capable of producing and secreting insulin. Importantly, our 3D stem cell to beta cell differentiation protocol enables modelling of human endocrine pancreas development and beta cell function in vitro providing a superior alternative to mouse derived islets or developmental mouse models for diabetes research.

In this application, we propose to increase the production capacity of BetaCell Birmingham by transitioning to a perfusion-based suspension bioreactor. This change will enable us to produce a larger quantity of organoids more cost-effectively while potentially improving their functionality.