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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: JOE-09-0097v1 202/1/13    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sahu, S. Articles by Hardikar, A. A Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sahu, S. Articles by Hardikar, A. A

Stem Cells and Diabetes Section, National Center for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411007, India
¹ Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK

(Correspondence should be addressed to A A Hardikar; Email: anand{at}isletbiology.com)

The treatment of diabetes by islet transplantation is presently hampered by the shortage of organ donors. The generation of insulin-producing cells is therefore a major objective in the long-term goal of curing diabetes. Alternative sources of pancreatic β-cells include existing pancreatic cells, embryonic stem cells, and cells from other tissues such as liver. This commentary considers evidence for two new sources of β-cells: intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells and gall bladder epithelium. These observations raise the possibility that a patient's own cells may be used as a source of insulin-producing cells for cell replacement in diabetes.