A newly developed stepwise process can transform mouse skin cells into insulin-secreting beta cells, report researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (Li K et al. Cell Stem Cell. 2014;14[2]:228-236).

When the investigators treated the fibroblasts with a unique cocktail of molecules and reprogramming factors, the cells transformed into endoderm-like cells. Further treatment with additional compounds transformed the cells into pancreatic progenitor-like cells (PPLCs) that could be coaxed to mature in laboratory dishes into insulin-secreting cells.

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