Abstract
Cell therapy represents a promising future treatment for diabetes. Here, I describe a number of approaches for genetic engineering of β-cell lines, which can be used, in conjunction with cell encapsulation methods, as a universal source of donor cells. The engineered cells produce and secrete insulin in amounts comparable to those of normal islets, can be reversibly induced to proliferate or undergo growth arrest, and maintain a phenotypic stability, both in culture and in vivo. Immunomodulatory genes derived from adenoviruses can be used to prolong β-cell graft survival by increasing cell resistance to host immune responses. The relative advantages and disadvantages of using engineered non-β-cells to replace β-cells are also discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 224-234 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Diabetes Reviews |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 2 |
State | Published - 1996 |
Externally published | Yes |