Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Complement System

Complement System

The complement system is a group of approximately 20 plasma proteins that strengthen the body's defenses against infections through opsonization, inflammation, and cell lysis. Opsonization involves coating pathogens with complement proteins, making them more recognizable and facilitating phagocyte engulfment. Certain complement proteins induce inflammation that attracts immune cells to the site of infection. Cell lysis involves the destruction of pathogens through the formation of a...

Complementation Tests

Complementation Tests

A complementation test is a simple cross to identify whether the two mutations are located on the same gene or different genes. It was first performed by Edward Lewis in the 1940s while working on fruit flies. He developed the test to identify the location and arrangement of different mutations on chromosomes.
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...

Tonicity in Animals

Tonicity in Animals

The tonicity of a solution determines if a cell gains or loses water in that solution. The tonicity depends on the permeability of the cell membrane for different solutes and the concentration of nonpenetrating solutes in the solution within and outside of the cell. If a semipermeable membrane hinders the passage of some solutes but allows water to follow its concentration gradient, water moves from the side with low osmolarity (i.e., less solute) to the side with higher osmolarity (i.e.,...

Tonicity in Animals

Tonicity in Animals

Tonicity describes the amount of solute in a solution. The measure of the tonicity of a solution, or the total amount of solutes dissolved in a specific amount of solution, is called its osmolarity. Three terms—hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic—are used to relate the osmolarity of a cell to the osmolarity of the extracellular fluid that contains the cells. In a hypotonic solution, such as tap water, the extracellular fluid has a lower concentration of solutes than the fluid inside...

Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion

Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion

The pancreatic islets comprising only 1%-2% of the volume are highly vascularized and innervated mini-organs. They contain five endocrine cell types, including β cells that secrete insulin, which is synthesized as a single polypeptide chain, preproinsulin, processed to proinsulin, and finally to insulin and C-peptide. This process is complex and regulated, involving the Golgi complex, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the secretory granules of the β cell.
Insulin and C-peptide are...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Mitochondria-ER contacts function as an iron supply hub.

Nature cell biology·2026

Same author

[A Case of Sigmoid Colon Cancer with Synchronous Pulmonary Metastases Diagnosed during Follow-Up after Primary Tumor Resection].

Gan to kagaku ryoho. Cancer & chemotherapy·2026

Same author

[A Case of Robot-Assisted Thoracoscopic Extended Thymectomy for Thymoma Associated with Generalized Myasthenia Gravis].

Gan to kagaku ryoho. Cancer & chemotherapy·2026

Same author

Transcription factor-mediated germ cell induction in rats reveals ETV4 cooperates with germline specifiers.

Stem cell reports·2025

Same author

Protocol for generating a pancreatic cancer organoid associated with heterogeneous tumor microenvironment.

STAR protocols·2025

Same author

Role of immature choroid plexus in the pathology of model mice and human iPSC-derived organoids with autism spectrum disorder.

Cell reports·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Human Blastocyst Biopsy and Vitrification

Human Blastocyst Biopsy and Vitrification

Published on: July 26, 2019

Hurdles to Generating Human Islets in Animals via Blastocyst Complementation.

Tomoyuki Yamaguchi¹

¹Division of Stem Cell Therapy, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. tomoyama@ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp.

Current Diabetes Reports

|June 26, 2019

Summary

Generating human islets using blastocyst complementation faces challenges. Overcoming hurdles in human-animal chimera creation, immune rejection, and ethical issues is key for this promising stem cell therapy.

Keywords:

Blastocyst complementation Interspecies chimera Naïve pluripotent stem cell

More Related Videos

Protocol for Human Blastoids Modeling Blastocyst Development and Implantation

Protocol for Human Blastoids Modeling Blastocyst Development and Implantation

Published on: August 10, 2022

Electrochemiluminescence Assays for Human Islet Autoantibodies

Electrochemiluminescence Assays for Human Islet Autoantibodies

Published on: March 23, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Human Blastocyst Biopsy and Vitrification

Human Blastocyst Biopsy and Vitrification

Published on: July 26, 2019

Protocol for Human Blastoids Modeling Blastocyst Development and Implantation

Protocol for Human Blastoids Modeling Blastocyst Development and Implantation

Published on: August 10, 2022

Electrochemiluminescence Assays for Human Islet Autoantibodies

Electrochemiluminescence Assays for Human Islet Autoantibodies

Published on: March 23, 2018

Area of Science:

Stem Cell Biology
Regenerative Medicine
Xenotransplantation

Background:

Blastocyst complementation offers a pathway to generate functional, in vivo-identical islets from pluripotent stem cells.
Interspecies blastocyst complementation has successfully produced mouse and rat pancreases in other species.
This technique holds potential for generating human organs within xenogeneic animal models.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the obstacles hindering the generation of human islets through blastocyst complementation.
To identify strategies for overcoming these identified challenges.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on blastocyst complementation and stem cell biology.
Analysis of challenges in creating human-animal chimeras.
Examination of immunological rejection mechanisms in xenotransplantation.
Consideration of ethical implications.

Main Results:

Significant hurdles exist in generating human islets via blastocyst complementation.
Challenges include difficulties in engineering human-animal chimeras due to human pluripotent stem cell characteristics.
Immunological rejection of donor tissue and ethical concerns present major obstacles.

Conclusions:

Addressing the cellular status of human pluripotent stem cells is crucial for successful chimera generation.
Mitigating immunological rejection is essential for xenotransplantation of human islets.
Ethical considerations must be carefully navigated for the advancement of this technology.