Cyborg pancreatic islet organoids

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Source: Science Magazine

Original: https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.aef2219?af=R...

Published: 2026-02-19T07:00:03Z

Researchers have created cyborg pancreatic islet organoids by integrating flexible nanoelectrodes into human pluripotent stem cell organoids, enabling long-term monitoring of electrical activity at the individual cell level.[2][3][4] These organoids monitor the maturation of the alpha (α) and beta (β) cells of the pancreatic islets, which produce the hormones glucagon and insulin in response to changes in glucose levels.[2][3] Alpha cells show faster action potentials at low glucose, which promotes glucagon secretion, while beta cells, in contrast, respond at high glucose in concert with insulin release.[3] Electronics also serve to stimulate cells, improving their response to glucose, and reveal the influence of chemical compounds, circadian hormones, and gene expression.[2][3] The platform enables continuous recordings of electrical activity in 3D tissue over months, including cell synchronization.[3][5] Cyborg organoids provide a tool for studying α and β cell biology, disease modeling, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine in diabetes.[2][3][4]