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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Mar 30.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Diab Rep. 2016 Aug;16(8):70. doi: 10.1007/s11892-016-0764-0

Figure 1. The use of human ES cells and iPS cells for studying disease mechanisms and for the treatment of diabetes.

Figure 1

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are derived from isolated inner cell mass of blastocysts and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are generated from adult cells by using reprogramming techniques including plasmid DNA (episomal), virus, synthetic mRNA or miRNA, and recombinant cell penetrating peptide-mediated transfer of the pluripotency factors (OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, c-MYC) into somatic cells. The genetic mutation causing diabetes has the potential to be corrected in patient-derived human pluripotent stem cells using gene editing technologies. Expanded human pluripotent stem cells can be directed towards definitive endoderm, pancreatic progenitors, and finally insulin secreting β-cells in vitro in a stepwise manner by mimicking human pancreas development in vivo. Pluripotent stem cells can also be differentiated into insulin responsive cells such as adipocytes, skeletal muscle cells and hepatocytes. These cells can be used for diabetes therapy, development of anti-diabetic drugs, and for disease modeling.