Doctoral student, Punn Augsornworawat, MS and Dr. Millman published a review article on single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate pancreas development and diabetes.
From the authors abstract, “The islets of Langerhans are complex tissues composed of several cell types that secrete hormones. Loss or dysfunction of the insulin-producing β cells leads to dysregulation of blood glucose levels, resulting in diabetes. A major goal in cellular engineering has been to generate β cells from stem cells for use in cell-based therapies. However, the presence of other cell types within these islets can mask important details about β cells when using population-level assays. Single-cell RNA sequencing has enabled transcriptional assessment of individual cells within mixed populations. These technologies allow for accurate assessment of specific cell types and subtypes of β cells. Studies investigating different stages of β-cell maturity have led to several insights into understanding islet development and diabetes pathology. Here, we highlight the key findings from the use of single-cell RNA sequencing on stem cell–derived and primary human islet cells found in different maturation and diabetic states.”