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Updated: May 18, 2026

Optimized Protocol for Generating Functional Pancreatic Insulin-secreting Cells from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: February 2, 2024
Basics and applications of stem cells in the pancreas
Keisuke Sekine1, Hideki Taniguchi
1Department of Regenerative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan.
Abstract:
Enormous efforts have been made to establish pancreatic stem/progenitor cells as a source for regenerative medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. In recent years, it has been recognized that the self-renewal of beta cells is the dominant process involved in postnatal beta-cell regeneration and expansion. Nevertheless, several in-vitro studies have suggested that ductal or as yet unidentified cells are candidates for pancreatic stem/progenitor cells that can differentiate into multilineage cells, including insulin(+) cells. The question remains as to whether beta cells are generated postnatally from stem/progenitor cells other than pre-existing beta cells. Furthermore, mutated pancreatic stem cells are considered to be prospective candidates for cancer stem cells or tumor-initiating cells. This review highlights recent progress in pancreatic stem/progenitor cell research.
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