Cell-based therapy of diabetes: what are the new sources of beta cells?

Abstract

Diabetes affects 246 million people around the world. To date, no definitive cure has been discovered. Recent clinical trials have shed light on the possibility of successfully transplanting adult pancreatic islets into type 1 diabetic recipients. However, despite encouraging efforts to improve such protocols, the poor availability of pancreatic islets remains a limiting parameter for these transplantation programmes. In the present review, different strategies to obtain other sources of islet beta cells are discussed.