Articles
The BCBC features background and short reports of ongoing scientific investigations. We select primary research publications, relevant to beta cell biology, and write short synopses on these. Our articles focus on the fundamental advancements that the publications report on and provide a focused view of these.
Featured Article
Small Molecules Direct Embryonic Stem Cells towards Endoderm or Pancreatic Fate - Jun. 29, 2009

The ability to differentiate to various cell types has rendered stem cell an attractive candidate for cell-based therapy. However, how to efficiently direct them to become specific type of cells remains a great challenge to the field. Most protocols developed for directed differentiation have relied on extracellular molecules and gene regulatory factors essential for normal differentiation of cells in embryonic development. Since these factors are protein-based material, they are difficult to obtain and costly for large scale differentiation. By screening small molecule libraries for compounds that promote embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation, several groups have reported their recent success in efficiently controlling ESC differentiation to endoderm or pancreatic fate via small molecules. These findings not only open the door for large scale differentiation in the future but also shed light on the molecular mechanisms essential for stem cell differentiation.
Primary References:
Borowiak et al. 2009 Cell Stem Cell 4, 348-358
Other Articles
Ectopic expression of Ngn3 transforms oval cells in the liver to neo-islets - Jun. 22, 2009
ZnT8 (Slc30A8) is a new antigenic target in type 1 diabetes - Mar. 31, 2009
Reprogramming adult mouse pancreatic exocrine cells to beta cells in vivo - Feb. 10, 2009
Myt1 offsets Ngn's own negative feed-back mechanism to promote islet cell differentiation - Oct. 28, 2008
Claudin-6: A Promising Global Marker of Definitive Endoderm - Feb. 27, 2008
Generation of Beta Cells from Endogenous Progenitors in Injured Adult Mouse Pancreas - Feb. 01, 2008
MafB is an activator of glucagon gene expression in alpha- and beta cells - Jun. 12, 2006
APOCHIP - A Microarray Platform for Studying Beta Cell Apoptosis - Mar. 09, 2006
Keystone Symposium 2006 - Report on Concurrent Islet Meetings - Mar. 03, 2006
Ghrelin cells arise from Ngn3-expressing precursors - Oct. 03, 2005
Report: The 2005 BCBC Kickoff Meeting - Sep. 27, 2005
ISSCR: 2005 Annual Meeting Report - Jul. 05, 2005
CITR - Collaborative Islet Transplant Registry - May. 19, 2005
KLF11 is a glucose-inducible regulator of the insulin gene - Apr. 25, 2005
A new ESC culture protocol for generating islet cells - Apr. 04, 2005
HNF-4a regulates KATP channel-dependent insulin secretion in beta cells - Mar. 17, 2005
Keystone Symposium 2005: Molecular Regulation of Stem Cells - Mar. 01, 2005
Ghrelin cells fill the void - Mar. 01, 2005
Regulation of Insulin Exocytosis by a Novel Islet-Specific microRNA - Dec. 13, 2004
The Structure of Insulin - Dec. 13, 2004
Pancreas-derived multipotent precursors - PMPs to the rescue - Nov. 16, 2004
No adult supervision for beta cells? - Nov. 09, 2004
Insulin - from secretion to action - Oct. 13, 2004
