Emerging routes to the generation of functional β-cells for diabetes mellitus cell therapy

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology and Regenerative Medicine
• Stem Cell Biology
• Bioengineering

Background:

• Diabetes mellitus affects over 463 million globally, characterized by beta-cell loss and impaired glucose homeostasis.
• Generating functional insulin-producing beta-cells remains a significant challenge in diabetes treatment.
• Current research explores multiple avenues to create functional beta-cells for therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current status and diverse approaches for generating functional beta-cells.
• To highlight the advantages and challenges associated with each generation method.
• To discuss scalable bioengineering processes for therapeutic beta-cell realization.

Main Methods:

• Generation of mature beta-cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs).
• Transdifferentiation of other pancreatic islet cells (e.g., alpha-cells) or endoderm-derived cells.
• Engineering of non-beta-cells for blood sugar modulation and creation of synthetic 'cells'.

Main Results:

• hPSC-derived beta-cells demonstrate appropriate glucose responsiveness in vitro and in vivo functionality post-transplantation.
• Progress has been made in transdifferentiation and cell engineering strategies.
• Scalable bioengineering solutions are being developed to enable therapeutic use.

Conclusions:

• Significant advances in beta-cell generation offer potential for diabetes therapy.
• Diverse strategies, including stem cell-based and synthetic approaches, are advancing the field.
• Bioengineering innovations are crucial for translating derived beta-cells into effective treatments.