Mass production of functional human pancreatic β-cells: why and how?
Diabetes (either type 1 or type 2) is due to insufficient functional β-cell mass. Research has, therefore, aimed to discover new ways to maintain or increase either β-cell mass or function. For this purpose, rodents have mainly been used as model systems and a large number of discoveries have been made. Meanwhile, although we have learned that rodent models represent powerful systems to model β-cell development, function and destruction, we realize that there are limitations when attempting to transfer the data to what is occurring in humans. Indeed, while human β-cells share many similarities with rodent β-cells, they also differ on a number of important parameters. In this context, developing ways to study human β-cell development, function and death represents an important challenge. This review will describe recent data on the development and use of convenient sources of human β-cells that should be useful tools to discover new ways to modulate functional β-cell mass in humans.
INSERM U1016, Université Paris-Descartes, Institut Cochin, Paris, France. Raphael.scharfmann@inserm.fr.
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Scharfmann
INSERM U1016, Université Paris-Descartes, Institut Cochin, Paris, France.
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Didiesheim
INSERM U1016, Université Paris-Descartes, Institut Cochin, Paris, France.
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Richards
INSERM U1016, Université Paris-Descartes, Institut Cochin, Paris, France.
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Chandra
INSERM U1016, Université Paris-Descartes, Institut Cochin, Paris, France.
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Oshima
INSERM U1016, Université Paris-Descartes, Institut Cochin, Paris, France.
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Albagli
D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy*; D000066449:Human Embryonic Stem Cells; D006801:Humans; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D023421:Models, Animal; D051381:Rats
GPR68; RFX6; human; pancreatic; stem cells; β-cell lines; β-cells