All Stem Cells Japan

SUMMARY
The generation of insulin-producing pancreatic b cells from stem cells in vitro would provide an unprecedented cell source for drug discovery and cell transplantation therapy in diabetes. However, insulin-producing cells previously generated from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) lack many functional characteristics of bona fide b cells. Here, we report a scalable differentiation protocol that can generate hundreds of millions of glucose-responsive b cells from hPSC in vitro. These stem-cell-derived b cells (SC-b) express markers found in mature b cells, flux Ca2+ in response to glucose, package insulin into secretory granules, and secrete quantities of insulin comparable to adult b cells in response to multiple sequential glucose challenges in vitro. Furthermore, these cells secrete human insulin into the serum of mice shortly after transplantation in a glucose-regulated manner, and transplantation of these cells ameliorates hyperglycemia in diabetic mice.
SUMMARY
The discovery of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) opened the possibility of generating replacement cells and tissues in the laboratory that could be used for disease treatment and drug screening. Recent research has moved the stem cell field closer to that goal through development of strategies to generate cells that would otherwise be difficult to obtain, like neurons or cardiomyocytes.
Source : Cell 159, 428–439, October 9, 2014 Elsevier Inc. 4
See more : http://hsci.harvard.edu/files/hsci/files/pagliuca_et_al_cell_2014.pdf