The generation of functional insulin-producing beta cells is critical to the effective treatment of diabetes. Creative Bioarray combines a strong research team with extensive experience to help clients develop multiple reprogramming strategies to generate pancreatic cells with the ability to secrete insulin. We focus on technology innovation and strategy optimization to meet our clients' research needs.
Background
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a disease characterized by the irreversible destruction of insulin-secreting beta cells. Pancreatic beta cells are essential for maintaining glucose homeostasis, and therefore patients with T1D are life-long dependent on exogenously administered insulin to alleviate their condition. However, this treatment is not only inconveniences patients, but also lacks the sensitivity that is achieved when glucose homeostasis is controlled by the individual's own beta cells. An attractive therapeutic option that has emerged is to reprogram an individual's endogenous cells to generate pancreatic cells with the ability to secrete insulin and replace the destroyed beta cells.
In several recent studies, scientists have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells into fully-functional pancreatic cells. Experiments showed that the generated cells can produce insulin in response to changes in glucose levels. And these cells when transplanted into mice can protect the animals from developing T1D in a mouse model of the disease. The major advance in cell reprogramming technology has enabled scientists to effectively scale up the production of pancreatic cells and make trillions of target cells in a controlled and stepwise manner. This achievement opens the door for drug screening and is an important step towards freeing patients with diabetes from lifelong injections.
Fig.1 Graphical abstract of reprogramming mouse fibroblasts into pancreatic lineages. (Abdullah, 2012)
Our Services
Researchers at Creative Bioarray use novel technologies to help clients reprogram skin cells into insulin-producing pancreatic cells, providing them with ideas for developing novel therapies to treat T1D.
We have developed a stepwise approach for the generation of beta cells. In this strategy, we treat fibroblasts to generate endoderm-like cells by using a unique "cocktail" of soluble molecules and multipotent reprogramming factors. The endoderm-like cells are then targeted to the pancreatic lineage using a further combination of small molecules in vitro. The generated pancreatic progenitor-like cells can mature into functional, insulin-secreting β-like cells.
Applications
- Study on basic pancreas biology
- Disease modeling
- Development of cell replacement therapies
- Development of drug testing strategies
Advantages
- Simple, robust, and non-integrating approaches
- Efficient and professional scientific services
- Strict quality control
As a professional cell reprogramming service platform, Creative Bioarray has the expertise and means to provide clients with the service of reprogramming mouse and human skin cells to produce pancreatic cells. Our efficient scientific services will contribute greatly to the success of your project. Please feel free to contact us for more information.
Reference
- Abdullah, A.I.; et al. The path from skin to brain: generation of functional neurons from fibroblasts. Molecular neurobiology. 2012, 45(3): 586-595.