Insulin Producing Mini Stomachs

Scientists at Harvard’s Stem Cell Institute have induced pluripotency in stomach cells of diabetic mice and caused them to produce insulin. The original cells, taken from the pylorus region where the stomach and small intestine join, are sensitive to high glucose levels but don’t ordinarily produce insulin. In a follow up study, the researchers grew the reprogrammed pyloric cells into “miniature stomachs,” which they then implanted in the abdominal cavity of diabetic mice. Five of 22 test animals had normal insulin function.   MORE

Image Credit: Chaiyaboot Ariyachet and GizMag.com