The gastrointestinal epithelium has a high regenerative capacity. In a new study, native antral stomach cells have been converted into insulin-positive functional pancreatic β-like cells that can potentially be used for glycaemic control to treat diabete mellitus. These induced insulin-positive β-like cells reverse hypoglycaemia after transplantation in a mouse model of diabetes. Moreover, these reprogrammed gastric cells can be loaded onto a bioscaffold and bioengineered into mini organs that can also control blood glucose levels in diabetic mice.
References
Ariyachet, C. et al. Reprogrammed stomach tissue as a renewable source of functional β cells for blood glucose regulation. Cell Stem Cell 18, 1–12 (2016)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ray, K. Reprogramming stomach tissue into β-like cells. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 13, 188 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2016.42
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2016.42