Pancreatic differentiation.

Abstract

Over the last decade, with the advent of new techniques and technologies in modern molecular biology, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms responsible for organ differentiation has developed rapidly. Despite this, our knowledge of these signaling pathways is still far from complete. Some of these advances, such as the creation of transgenic mouse models, have given us new tools to help us understand the interactions of the various transcription factors that are responsible for the creation of various cell types from a single cell type during embryogenesis. This knowledge then gives rise to the concept of creating new ways to manipulate stem cells in order to correct the deficiencies present in various disease processes. Here, we present work that focuses specifically on pancreatic development. The ultimate goal of our research in studying the mechanisms of the basic differentiation of pancreatic precursor cells is to gain the knowledge necessary to be able to engineer stem cells specifically into beta-cells in the treatment of diabetes.