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Cellular sources of new pancreatic β cells and therapeutic implications for regenerative medicine

Nature Cell Biology volume 6, pages 1021–1025 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Replacing missing insulin-producing β cells to treat diabetes is a major challenge for regenerative medicine. A better understanding of β-cell embryogenesis and regeneration in adult life is needed to devise means to derive these specialized cells in sufficiently large numbers from stem or precursor cells. It is also critical to ensure that any surrogate or regenerated β cells have perfectly regulated insulin production, which is essential for physiological glucose homeostasis.

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Figure 1: Insulin production from organ to molecule.
Figure 2: The three-dimensional architecture of an islet.

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Acknowledgements

P.A.H. is supported by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Swiss National Science Foundation.

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  1. Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University Medical Centre, 1 rue Michel Servet, Geneva, 4, 1211, Switzerland

    Philippe A. Halban

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  1. Philippe A. Halban
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Halban, P. Cellular sources of new pancreatic β cells and therapeutic implications for regenerative medicine. Nat Cell Biol 6, 1021–1025 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb1104-1021

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