The ability of human embryonic stem cells to differentiate into pancreatic islet cells has defined the developmental stages and transcription factors involved in this process. As a consequence, refinement of gene and stem cell therapies for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus has become an area of intense research. In this Perspectives article, Calne and colleagues comment on the progress of these experimental therapies, which might one day become a clinical reality.
- Roy Y. Calne
- Shu Uin Gan
- Kok Onn Lee
