Towards a safe and scalable cell therapy for type 1 diabetes by simplifying beta cell differentiation
With the vision of providing a cell therapy for type 1 diabetes patients, scientists at the University of Copenhagen have identified a unique cell surface protein present on human pancreatic precursor cells providing for the first time a molecular handle to purify the cells whose fate is to become cells of the pancreas -- including insulin producing cells. The work, outlined in a landmark study entitled 'Efficient generation of glucose-responsive beta cells from isolated GP2+ human pancreatic progenitors' has just been published in Cell Reports . A biomarker to clearly separate cell populations is a holy grail of cell therapy research for the reasons of safety and end product consistency. By using this cell surface marker, the researchers have engineered a streamlined and simplified differentiation process to generate insulin-producing cells for future treatment of type 1 diabetes patients. The process enables cost-efficient manufacturing and exploits at its core an int...