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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Alloimmunity and Transplantation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1551372
This article is part of the Research Topic Community series in Progress of Allo- and Xeno-transplantation Facilitating the Initial Xeno-Kidney and Islet Clinical Trials, volume III View all articles

Recent advances in pancreatic α-cell transdifferentiation for diabetes therapy

Provisionally accepted
Yanjiao Li Yanjiao Li 1Jinyu Zhu Jinyu Zhu 2Congyang Yue Congyang Yue 2Si-Yuan Song Si-Yuan Song 3*Yi Wang Yi Wang 2*Limin Tian Limin Tian 2
  • 1 Qingyang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Qingyang, China
  • 2 Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, China
  • 3 Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    As the global prevalence of diabetes mellitus rises, traditional treatments like insulin therapy and oral hypoglycemic agents often fail to achieve optimal glycemic control, leading to severe complications. Recent research has focused on replenishing pancreatic β-cells through the transdifferentiation of α-cells, offering a promising therapeutic avenue. This review explores the molecular mechanisms underlying α-cell to β-cell transdifferentiation, emphasizing key transcription factors such as Dnmt1, Arx, Pdx1, MafA, and Nkx6.1. The potential clinical applications, especially in type 1 and type 2 diabetes characterized by significant β-cell dysfunction, are addressed. Challenges, including low transdifferentiation efficiency, cell stability, and safety concerns, are also included. Future research directions include optimizing molecular pathways, enhancing transdifferentiation efficiency, and ensuring the long-term stability of β-cell identity. Overall, the ability to convert α-cells into β-cells represents a transformative strategy for diabetes treatment, offering hope for more effective and sustainable therapies for patients with severe β-cell loss.

    Keywords: diabetes, Pancreatic α-cells, β-cell transdifferentiation, Transcription Factors, insulin secretion, clinical applications, Cell stability, Regenerative Medicine

    Received: 25 Dec 2024; Accepted: 07 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Li, Zhu, Yue, Song, Wang and Tian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Si-Yuan Song, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, Texas, United States
    Yi Wang, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.