Therapeutic approaches for Type 1 Diabetes: Promising cell-based approaches to achieve ultimate success

Type 1 Diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by pancreatic β-cells destruction. Despite substantial advances in T1DM treatment, lifelong exogenous insulin administration is the mainstay of treatments, and constant control of glucose levels is still a challenge. Endogenous insulin production by replacing insulin-producing cells is an alternative, but the lack of suitable donors is accounted as one of the main obstacles to its widespread application.

The research and trials overview demonstrates that endogenous production of insulin has started to go beyond the deceased-derived to stem cells-derived insulin-producing cells. Several protocols have been developed over the past couple of years for generating insulin-producing cells (IPCs) from various stem cell types and reprogramming fully differentiated cells. A straightforward and quick method for achieving this goal is to investigate and apply the β-cell specific transcription factors as a direct strategy for IPCs generation. In this review, we emphasize the significance of transcription factors in IPCs development from different non-beta cell sources, and pertinent research underlies the marked progress in the methods for generating insulin-producing cells and application for Type 1 Diabetes treatment.