Beta cells are located in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. They synthesize, store and secrete insulin and antagonize hyperglycemic hormones to keep blood glucose concentrations within a narrow physiologic range. Autoimmune destruction or dysfunction and depletion of insulin-producing beta cells leads to misregulation of glucose homeostasis and diabetes.

Human iPS cells are considered an attractive source of beta cells for modeling diabetes because of their ability to differentiate into all major somatic cell lineages, including endoderm, where the beta cells originate.

Human iPSC-derived beta cells develop from integration-free, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) under fully defined three-dimensional (3D) culture conditions applying sequential media changes in a six-stage differentiation scheme. The iPS cells are differentiated into mature, functional beta cells following established protocols that mimic the typical stages of pancreatic development. The mature beta cells express the cell-type specific marker genes such as PDX1, NKX6.1, ISL1 and secrete insulin, providing an ideal tool for investigating beta cell function, diabetes modeling and drug screening applications.

We can offer beta cell differentiation service upon request that includes protocol optimization for providing custom beta cells from defined human iPS cell lines. All the cells provided by BioTalentum are negative for mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast, and fungi. HIV-1, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The basic donor information (gender/age) is provided for each cell lot purchased.