In Vitro Development of Islets from Human Adult Pancreatic Tissues: an Alternative Source for Clinical Islet Transplantation

Transplantation of isolated islets from cadaver pancreas is a promising possibility for the optimal treatment of type 1 diabetes. However, such an approach is severely limited by the shortage of donor organs. And also the long-term function of human pancreatic islet grafts may depend on the neogenesis of beta cells from epithelial precursors within the grafted tissue. Islet neogenesis can be induced in adult mouse and human pancreatic ductal cell cultures. Using the in vitro model for human islet neogenesis, we confirm the capacity of endocrine differentiation from progenitors present in the adult human pancreas. Ductal cell differentiation into endocrine cells in transplanted islets may be an important factor in sustaining the long-term function of islet transplants. The immunosuppressive protocol appears to be an important determinant of long-term clinical islet graft function. Besides the specific descriptions on islet regeneration, this book also provides basic knowledge on the histology of pancreas and islets as well as the development of pancreas, which should be useful to both professionals in diabetes research field and ordinary readers.