Engineered cells for treatment of diabetes - Artificial Cells, Cell Engineering and Therapy - page 397

will be determined, in addition to the lifespan of the insulin-producing cells
themselves, by the balancing act of assuring sufficient access to nutrients while
preventing contact with immune effector molecules. Ideally, the graft should last
long enough to be replaced no more than once or twice a year. If the recent rapid
progress in cell engineering is matched in the coming years by progress in cell
protection techniques, one can expect clinical trials in diabetic patients involving
an engineered cell replacement strategy in the not too distant future.
16.11 Sources of further information and advice
Comprehensive information and references on the biology of cells, as well as
on etiology, pathology and therapeutics of both types of diabetes can be found in
Diabetes Mellitus: A Fundamental and Clinical Text, Third Edition (D LeRoith,
S Taylor, JM Olefsky, eds.), Lippincott, Williams &Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2004.
Updated information on research trends, events, and clinical trials can be found in
the internet sites of the American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org), the
European Association for the Study of Diabetes (www.easd.org), the Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation (www.jdrf.org), and the National Institute of
Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (www.niddk.nih.gov). The site of the
Beta-Cell Biology Consortium (www.betacell.org) provides information on
research tools and a database of gene expression profiles.
16.12 Acknowledgements
Work in my laboratory was funded by the Israel Science Foundation, the
National Institutes of Health, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
International, D-Cure, and the Beta Cell Therapy Consortium of the European
Union.
16.13 References
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growth, enhanced insulin secretion and the role of lactogenic hormones. Horm
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2. Butler AE, Janson J, Bonner-Weir S, Ritzel R, Rizza RA, Butler PC. Beta-cell
deficit and increased beta-cell apoptosis in humans with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes
2003, 52: 102±110.
3. Dor Y, Brown J, Martinez OI, Melton DA. Adult pancreatic beta-cells are formed
by self-duplication rather than stem-cell differentiation. Nature 2004, 429: 41±46.
4. Nielsen JH, Galsgaard ED, Moldrup A, Friedrichsen BN, Billestrup N, Hansen JA,
Lee YC, Carlsson C. Regulation of beta-cell mass by hormones and growth factors.
Diabetes 2001, 50 (Suppl. 1): S25±S29.
5. Xu G, Stoffers DA, Habener JF, Bonner-Weir S. Exendin-4 stimulates both beta-
cell replication and neogenesis, resulting in increased beta-cell mass and improved
glucose tolerance in diabetic rats. Diabetes 1999, 48: 2270±2276.