title: New tools for experimental diabetes research: Cellular reprogramming and genome editing.
abstract: Isolated human islets are a rare and precious material for diabetes research. However, their availability is limited, and it is impossible to obtain them from patients with specific genotypes. Human pluripotent stem cells provide an alternative. Induced pluripotent stem cells can be generated from any individual's somatic cells and differentiated into pancreatic cells. Currently, this approach is limited by the immaturity of the islet-like cells derived from stem cells. However, this approach can already be used to model developmental defects, and the possibilities for studying insulin secretion are continuously improving. In addition, genome editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology provides powerful possibilities to study the impact of specific genotypes. The same technology can also be used for transcriptional regulation in order to improve the functional maturation of stem cell-derived islets. These tools are today becoming available for tomorrow's translational diabetes research.
authors.affiliation: a Research Programs Unit, Molecular Neurology and Biomedicum Stem Cell Center , University of Helsinki, Children's Hospital .|b Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital , Helsinki , Finland.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Otonkoski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research; D064113:CRISPR-Cas Systems; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000235:genetics; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D000072669:Gene Editing; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism*; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin
keywords: Diabetes; islet transplantation; molecular biology