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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Insulin-Producing Islet Clusters
Published on: June 23, 2023
A unique human blood-derived cell population displays high potential for producing insulin
Yong Zhao1, Zhihua Huang, Ping Lazzarini
1Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1819 W Polk Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. yongzhao@uic.edu
Abstract:
Blood can provide a valuable source for the generation of stem cells. Herein we identified a novel cell population from adult human blood, designated peripheral blood insulin-producing cells (PB-IPC). Phenotypic analysis demonstrated that PB-IPC displayed the embryonic stem (ES) cell-associated transcription factors including Oct-4 and Nanog, along with the hematopoietic markers CD9, CD45, and CD117; but lacked expression of the hematopoietic stem cell marker CD34 as well as lymphocyte and monocyte/macrophage markers. Notably, in vitro and in vivo characterization revealed that PB-IPC demonstrated characteristics of islet beta cell progenitors including the expression of beta cell-specific insulin gene transcription factors and prohormone convertases, production of insulin, formation of insulin granules, and the ability to reduce hyperglycemia and migrate into pancreatic islets after transplantation into the diabetic mice. These findings may open up new avenues for autologous blood stem cell-based therapies for diabetes.
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