Pancreatic β Cell Regeneration as a Possible Therapy for Diabetes

Publication date: Available online 7 September 2017
Source:Cell Metabolism
Author(s): Cristina Aguayo-Mazzucato, Susan Bonner-Weir
Diabetes is the result of having inadequate supply of functional insulin-producing β cells. Two possible approaches for replenishing the β cells are: (1) replacement by transplanting cadaveric islets or β cells derived from human embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells and (2) induction of endogenous regeneration. This review focuses on endogenous regeneration, which can follow two pathways: enhanced replication of existing β cells and formation of new β cells from cells not expressing insulin, either by conversion from a differentiated cell type (transdifferentiation) or differentiation from progenitors (neogenesis). Exciting progress on both pathways suggest that regeneration may have therapeutic promise.

Teaser

Aguayo-Mazzucato and Bonner-Weir review the current approaches toward inducing endogenous β cell regeneration. The authors highlight exciting progress in our understanding and enhancement of regenerative pathways (proliferation, transdifferentiation and neogenesis) which may hold therapeutic promise in alleviating some of the disease burden by overcoming the inadequate β cell supply in diabetes.


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