Evert Kroon

TL;DR: A differentiation process that converts human embryonic stem cells to endocrine cells capable of synthesizing the pancreatic hormones insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide and ghrelin is developed.

TL;DR: It is shown that pancreatic endoderm derived from human embryonic stem (hES) cells efficiently generates glucose-responsive endocrine cells after implantation into mice, and it is demonstrated that implantation of hES cell–derived pancreaticEndoderm protects against streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemia.

TL;DR: The process of definitive endoderm formation in differentiating hES cell cultures includes an apparent epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and a dynamic gene expression profile that are reminiscent of vertebrate gastrulation that may facilitate the use of hES cells for therapeutic purposes and as in vitro models of development.

TL;DR: A tractable manufacturing process for the generation of functional pancreatic progenitors from hESC on a scale amenable to clinical entry is developed.

TL;DR: Using a flow cytometry–based screen of commercial antibodies, cell-surface markers for the separation of pancreatic cell types derived from human embryonic stem (hES) cells are identified and will aid investigations that use pancreatic cells generated from pluripotent stem cells to study diabetes and pancreas biology.