WJSC World Journal of Stem Cells Submit a Manuscript: https://www.f6publishing.com World J Stem Cells 2019 January 26; 11(1): 13-33 DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v11.i1.13 ISSN 1948-0210 (online) REVIEW Applications of stem cells and bioprinting for potential treatment of diabetes Shweta Anil Kumar, Monica Delgado, Victor E Mendez, Binata Joddar ORCID number: Shweta Anil Kumar (0000-0001-9170-1686); Monica Delgado (0000-0003-2971-6849); Victor E Mendez (0000-0001-9809-6845); Binata Joddar (0000-0002-9157-3140). Author contributions: Anil Kumar S and Delgado M contributed equally to this work; Joddar B designed the layout of the review article and edited the work; Anil Kumar S, Delgado M and Mendez VE wrote the paper. Supported by the National Institutes of Health, No. NIH BUILD Pilot 8UL1GM118970-02, NIH 1SC2HL134642-01; the National Science Foundation, NSF- PREM program, No. DMR: 1205302; and the PREM Center for Energy and Biomaterials, No. DMR: 1827745. Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts to declare. Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licen ses/by-nc/4.0/ Manuscript source: Invited Shweta Anil Kumar, Monica Delgado, Victor E Mendez, Binata Joddar, Inspired Materials and Stem-Cell Based Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Department of Metallurgical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, United States Binata Joddar, Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, United States Corresponding author: Binata Joddar, PhD, Assistant Professor, Inspired Materials and Stem- Cell Based Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Department of Metallurgical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, United States. bjoddar@utep.edu Telephone: +1-915-7478456 Fax: +1-915-7478036 Abstract Currently, there does not exist a strategy that can reduce diabetes and scientists are working towards a cure and innovative approaches by employing stem cell- based therapies. On the other hand, bioprinting technology is a novel therapeutic approach that aims to replace the diseased or lost β-cells, insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas, which can potentially regenerate damaged organs such as the pancreas. Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into various cell lines including insulinproducing cells. However, there are still barriers that hamper the successful differentiation of stem cells into β-cells. In this review, we focus on the potential applications of stem cell research and bioprinting that may be targeted towards replacing the β-cells in the pancreas and may offer approaches towards treatment of diabetes. This review emphasizes on the applicability of employing both stem cells and other cells in 3D bioprinting to generate substitutes for diseased β-cells and recover lost pancreatic functions. The article then proceeds to discuss the overall research done in the field of stem cell-based bioprinting and provides future directions for improving the same for potential applications in diabetic research. Key words: Bioprinting; Tissue engineering; Pluripotent stem cells; Mesenchymal stem cells; Human embryonic stem; Adult human liver cells; β-cells; Islet cells; Biomaterials; Bioink; Stem cell; Diabetes ©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. WJSC https://www.wjgnet.com January 26, 2019 Volume 11 Issue 1 13