The development of functional pancreatic in vitro models remains a major challenge in diabetes research. Hydrogel encapsulation systems for native or in vitro-generated islets hamper formation of vasculature that is crucial for beta-cell phenotype maintenance, metabolic activity, and nutrient exchange, limiting their performance in biological investigation and drug testing. Here, I propose to use macroporous hydrogels leveraged through phase separation for the vascularization of pancreatic models. The encapsulation of the pseudo-islets, already developed in our lab, in macroporous hydrogels followed by the incorporation of endothelial cells and pericytes will allow the establishment of vascularized pancreatic models advancing diabetes investigation.
 | January 2025, 12th edition, The Netherlands |
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A presentation by Oksana Dudaryeva, Postdoc at UMC Utrecht.
Oksana is driven by the possibility to engage her creativity to create medical solutions using technologically advanced materials, whereby she thinks that bioprinting, photochemistries, and the use of intracellular sensors are emerging technologies.
About Oksana Dudaryeva
Currently I am a postdoc within ENLIGHT consortium at the lab of Riccardo Levato, UMC Utrecht. My research focuses on creating functional living pancreas model by combining organoid culture, material design, and volumetric bioprinting. I obtained BSc and MSc at Eindhoven University of Technology. I did a research internship in the group of Kristi Anseth, CU Boulder (USA) with focus on developing viscoelastic hydrogels. I further obtained a PhD at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland, during which I developed different materials systems such as single cell encapsulation platforms, biomaterials with dynamic mechanical properties, and macroporous materials via phase separation.
About UMC Utrecht
The Levato lab comprises a multidisciplinary team of scientists, from biologists to biomedical engineers, chemists and physicists from Utrecht University and from the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC Utrecht). The team contributes to the Utrecht Biofabrication facility. You can find us at the Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht, from where we connect with many partners across the Utrecht Life Science campus at UU, UMCU, Hubrecht Institute and Princess Maxima Center.
For more information visit the website.
Oksana Dudaryeva will speak at the 2023 edition of the 3D Medical Conference.