Research on mouse embryonic stem cells at UW-Madison could provide a new model to study pancreatic development and create a new source of insulin for treating patients with diabetes.
A team of scientists published results of their six-year study in the July 25 issue of Diabetes.
\This is the first time anyone has reproduced pancreatic cells like this,"" said Brenda Kahan, co-author of the study.
The study focused on islet beta cells, insulin-secreting cells clustered by the hundreds in the pancreas that help control blood-sugar levels, said Dr. Jon Odorico, leader of the research team and assistant professor of surgery and director of clinical transplantation at UW-Madison.
""We knew that embryonic stems cells can differentiate in an animal to each of the 200 plus types of cells of the body,"" Odorico said. ""What we were seeking to find out was whether embryonic stem cells could become pancreatic islet cells.""
In the study the scientists coaxed embryonic cells to grow into adult insulin-secreting pancreatic cells, closely studying their development.
""The main point of the study,"" Odorico said, ""was to identify the characteristic stages of development as embryonic cells become islet cells. Our results showed that characteristic stages of growth that occur in the body also occur in the culture.""
The scientists used immunofluorescent staining to check the growth of the cell at each step.
""Certain antibodies tagged with a fluorescent probe will bind to a specific hormone in a cell. When you look at the cells under a microscope, you can actually see the cells light up. Then you can identify the proteins,"" Kahan explained.
By studying the formation of islet beta cells, the scientists can begin to isolate precursor cells.
""We can then generate large numbers of cells that will become insulin producers,"" Kahan said.
""This could provide for a much better treatment of diabetes,"" Odorico explained. ""Transplanted pancreatic or islet tissue could function ... as a cell-sustaining and self-adjusting insulin factory.""
The therapeutic benefits, however, are at least five to 10 years away.
""We've only achieved a small scale of what we might do one day for humans with diabetes,"" Kahan said, ""but it's very exciting for me to study this developmental system with such tremendous therapeutic potential.\
