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Pancreatic Differentiation Process

Technology Benefits

This discovery offers the potential for scaled generation of functional insulin-producing cells in vitro, with more accurate maturation of the beta-cells.

Detailed Technology Description

UC San Diego researchers have developed a patent-pending process for cellular pancreatic differentiation, resulting in improved differentiation and maturation of hESCs to pancreatic beta cells. This discovery offers the potential for scaled generation of functional insulin-producing cells in vitro, with more accurate maturation of the beta-cells. As such, this patent-pending technology has the potential for utility in underpinning Islet transplantation as a practically feasible therapy for diabetes.

Others

Tech ID/UC Case

27618/2017-116-0

Related Cases

2017-116-0

*Abstract

Diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Islet transplantation is a suitable therapy for diabetes, but the scarceness of islet donors makes this approach practically impossible in a higher scale. Promising alternative cell sources for treating diabetes comes from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), and numerous groups have generated functional insulin-producing cells in vitro using stepwise differentiation protocols that mimic pancreatic development, including from diabetic patients. However, the limited transcriptomic data on these cells indicate that there remain marked differences between the most mature hESC-derived cells and primary human adult beta cells. Therefore, improvements in methodologies for proper maturation of beta-cells in vitro continues to be an intense area of research.

*IP Issue Date

Jun 28, 2018

*Principal Investigator

Name: Louise Laurent

Department:

Name: Sergio Mora-Castilla

Department:

Name: Thomas Touboul

Department:

Country/Region

USA