Pancreatic islets

Biolaminin® substrates are full-length human recombinant laminins that provide a biologically relevant and defined environment for pancreatic islet culture. They support efficient differentiation, reproducible outcomes, and scalable processes, driving reliable disease modeling and the development of next-generation therapies.

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Next-generation pancreatic islet culture with full length-laminins

Cell-replacement therapies are rapidly advancing, with pancreatic islet therapies at the forefront. A key challenge in this development is establishing standardized and robust culture protocols. The generation of stem cell–derived β-islets and the cultivation of primary islets are complex processes that require careful tuning to reflect and mimic the intricate in vivo microenvironment. This is where laminins come into play.

Full-length laminins are native basement membrane proteins found in the pancreatic niche. Biolaminin 521, a recombinant human full-length laminin, provides a biologically relevant substrate for culturing islets in vitro. By mimicking the complex and physiologically relevant cell–matrix interactions, Biolaminin 521 offers a defined and reliable platform for islet research and development.

Pancreatic islets-specific laminins

Core function

Within pancreatic islets, native β-cells polarize toward the vasculature via basement membrane proteins. At this interface, endothelial laminins form focal adhesion contacts (FAC; see the image on the right, created with BioRender.com) with β-cells, orienting insulin secretion toward the vascular pole (Singh et al., 2020).

Localization within the pancreas

The laminin α4 (LAMA4) gene is specifically expressed in the vascular bed of pancreatic islets, not in the acinar tissue. Single-cell RNA sequencing from three independent datasets identified LAMA4 as a unique marker of islet-specific endothelial cells in the healthy pancreas (Craig-Shapiro et al., 2025).

Throughout development

During embryonic organogenesis, pancreatic bi-potent progenitors increasingly encounter laminin deposition, in contrast to fibronectin. By modulating mechano-signaling pathways, laminin promotes endocrine differentiation in vivo and acts as a fate-determining driver of pancreatic maturation (Mamidi et al., 2018).

Production

The functional integrity of β-cells depends on their close association with endothelial cells. Unlike many other cell types, β-cells cannot produce their own basement membrane (Nikolova et al., 2006) and instead rely on the capillary-derived matrix, where laminin α4 and α5 are predominantly expressed.

Isoforms in the human pancreas

In the fetal pancreas, laminin α4 is the most abundant isoform and may guide pancreatic specification, whereas laminin α5 increases after birth and remains expressed throughout life (Li et al., 2021).

Cultivating primary islets for pancreatic models and assays

As the move away from animal testing in drug discovery gains momentum, Biolaminin substrates are enabling more reliable and accurate in vitro models for disease research and drug development.

Full-length Biolaminin 521 supports the survival, growth, and monolayer expansion of primary pancreatic islets, enabling the development of innovative and versatile drug discovery tools. By preserving the natural microarchitecture of islets and eliminating the need for harsh dissociation methods, Biolaminin 521 ensures consistent nutrient access and uniform responses to pharmacological stimulation.

The image on the right shows small adherent whole islets (about 90 μm in diameter) cultured on LN521 for two weeks. The XZ and YZ dissections confirm that the islet structure grows as a monolayer (Kumagai-Braesh et al., 2025).

Supporting the generation of functional stem cell-derived islets

Full-length laminins are essential for creating a microenvironment that supports the maturation and function of stem cell-derived islets. Human pluripotent stem cell-derived beta cells cultured on laminin-rich matrices develop proper cell polarity and exhibit significantly improved glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. This interaction mimics the natural islet niche, where laminins guide β-cell orientation and signaling, ultimately enhancing insulin release and cell survival (Singh et al., 2020). By integrating full-length Biolaminin substrates into stem cell culture systems, researchers are paving the way toward generating functional, clinically relevant islet cells for diabetes therapy.

The image of the immunostaining on the right shows the multihormonal stem cell-derived islets at the final differentiation stage (day 63), containing insulin⁺ β-cells (gray), somatostatin⁺ δ-cells (red), and glucagon⁺ α-cells (green) with DAPI-stained nuclei (blue). Laminin-521 was used during earlier progenitor differentiation to support cell maturation and promote the organized islet structure seen here (scale bar 100 μm) (adapted from Thorngren et al., 2024).

Enhancing the efficiency of scalable systems for culturing insulin-producing islets

With cell therapies progressing from bench to bedside, standardized and reproducible culture systems are essential to ensure product safety and efficacy. Full-length, human recombinant, animal component–free Biolaminin substrates provide a defined and reliable foundation for achieving highly reproducible results and streamlined, scalable manufacturing processes (Iworima et al., 2024).

Full-length recombinant Biolaminin 521 enables:

  • Seamless transition from monolayer to cell aggregates
  • Supports process compatibility across diverse culture setups
  • Highly reproducible outcomes
  • Robust differentiation efficiency

Biolaminin key advantages for pancreatic islet culture

Biologically relevant environment to preserve islet function

Full-length Biolaminin is a natural ECM protein that provides native signaling cues essential for pancreatic development and function. By recreating in vivo ECM–cell interactions, Biolaminin establishes islet polarity in vitro, ensuring proper functionality.

Enables clinically compliant protocols for cell-replacement therapy

From concept development to standardized protocols and global regulatory compliance, BioLamina offers culture substrates designed for clinical cell applications, supporting scientists throughout the journey from stem cell therapy development to commercialization.

Efficient functional maturation of PSC-derived islets

Biolaminin enables animal-origin-free and batch-consistent conditions that are critical for meeting regulatory standards and enable the production of clinical-grade cell products for therapeutic applications.

Supports primary islet survival and expansion

Enables efficient cultivation of primary islets under xeno-free, defined conditions while preserving cellular integrity and function.

Improves reproducibility in scalable systems

Biolaminin ensures standardized, reproducible workflows that support researchers from process development to large-scale cell manufacturing. The recombinant, chemically defined nature of full-length laminin enables complete signaling pathways, reducing process variability and eliminating inconsistencies across experiments.

Compatible with a variety of platforms and protocols

BioLamina offers user-friendly, versatile culture substrates compatible with a wide range of technologies and materials.

Application note

Revolutionizing β-cell culture

We have gathered curated evidence from peer-reviewed publications demonstrating how our full-length laminins improve the function of β-cells in vitro.

In the application note, see data on:

  • Survival and expansion of primary pancreatic islets on Biolaminin 521, 511 and 411
  • Functional stem cell generation on Biolaminin 521 and 511

Read the application note

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Curated content to support your next steps

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