Year: 2016
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Despite continuous research efforts, there is still no cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Generating human β-cells from human pluripotent stem cells holds an unprecedented potential in treating T1D, as this approach could provide an infinite supply of physiologically suitable insulin-producing cells. However, emphasis must be directed towards an optimization of current differentiation approaches, which draw from recapitulating the developmental process of pancreas organogenesis. For β-cell differentiation, several key stages demand further investigation, such as driving the expression of NKX6-1, a transcription factor necessary for β-cell development. Our lab has performed a small molecule screen that has identified a class of small molecules capable of inducing an NKX6-1+/PDX1+ population in vitro, called tankyrase inhibitors. We have performed in vitro differentiation and transplantation into immunocompromised mice to confirm tankyrase inhibitor-treated populations generate β-like cells in vitro and in vivo. We describe a novel approach to generate pancreatic progenitor cells from hESCs.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Roman Korytnikov
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2921052897