New Marker May Help Identify and Isolate Stem Cells to Develop into Insulin-producing Cells in the Pancreas

A new marker that could facilitate the development of stem cells into insulin producing cells will help millions of people worldwide with type 1 diabetes who cannot produce sufficient insulin.

A new marker that could facilitate the development of stem cells into insulin producing cells in the pancreas will help millions of people worldwide with type 1 diabetes who cannot produce sufficient insulin.

This potential to transplant insulin-producing cells could offer hope for a long-term cure. The discovery of a marker to help identify and isolate stem cells that can develop into insulin-producing cells in the pancreas would be a critical step forward and is described in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a new bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.comBioResearch Open Access website http://www.liebertpub.com/biores">http://www.liebertpub.com/biores

Insulin Delivery Devices
Insulin delivery devices have evolved drastically since their invention in 1922. They are all aimed to provide insulin to the patients with minimal discomfort.

Pancreatic stem cells, the precursors of insulin-producing cells, have not yet been identified in humans or animals, and there is much debate about where they may reside. Ivka Afrikanova, Ayse Kayali, Ana Lopez, and Alberto Hayek, University of California, San Diego, CA, have identified a biochemical marker—stage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA4)—that they propose can be used to identify and purify human pancreatic stem cells. The article "Is Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigen 4 a Marker for Human Ductal Stem/Progenitor Cells" http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/biores.2012.0235">http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/biores.2012.0235

Source-Eurekalert

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