Current therapies do not prevent the complications of diabetes. Furthermore, these therapies do not address the underlying
pathology; the lack of functional β-cell mass that occurs in both types 1 and 2 diabetes. While pancreas and islet transplantation
do serve to increase β-cell mass, a lack of donor organs limits the therapeutic potential of these treatments. As such, expansion
of β-cell mass from endogenous sources, either in vivo or in vitro, represents an area of increasing interest. One potential
source of islet progenitors is the islet proper, via the dedifferentiation, proliferation, and redifferentiation of facultative
progenitors residing within the islet. We have developed a tissue culture platform whereby isolated adult human pancreatic
islets form proliferative duct-like structures expressing ductal and progenitor markers. Short-term treatment with a peptide
fragment of islet neogenesis-associated protein (INGAP) induces these structures to reform islet-like structures that resemble
freshly isolated islets with respect to the frequency and distribution of the four endocrine cell types, islet gene expression
and hormone production, insulin content, and glucose-responsive insulin secretion. As such, the plasticity of adult human
islets has significant implications for islet regeneration.
Key words Dedifferentiation - islet - islet neogenesis-associated protein (INGAP) - progenitor - redifferentiation