title: The use of β-cell transcription factors in engineering artificial β cells from non-pancreatic tissue.
abstract: Type 1 diabetes results from the autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta (β) cells. Patients with type 1 diabetes control their blood glucose levels using several daily injections of exogenous insulin; however, this does not eliminate the long-term complications of hyperglycaemia. Currently, the only clinically viable treatments for type 1 diabetes are whole pancreas and islet transplantation. As a result, there is an urgent need to develop alternative therapies. Recently, cell and gene therapy have shown promise as a potential cure for type 1 diabetes through the genetic engineering of 'artificial' β cells to regulate blood glucose levels without adverse side effects and the need for immunosuppression. This review compares putative target cells and the use of pancreatic transcription factors for gene modification, with the ultimate goal of engineering a glucose-responsive 'artificial' β cell that mimics the function of pancreatic β cells, while avoiding autoimmune destruction.
authors.affiliation: School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences and the Centre for Health Technologies, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gerace
authors.affiliation: 1] School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences and the Centre for Health Technologies, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia [2] Translational Cancer Research Group, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martiniello-Wilks
authors.affiliation: School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences and the Centre for Health Technologies, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences and the Centre for Health Technologies, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D054337:Cell Dedifferentiation; D054338:Cell Transdifferentiation; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000628:therapy*; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014161:Transduction, Genetic
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors