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MINI REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Alloimmunity and Transplantation
Volume 16 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1554876
This article is part of the Research Topic Community Series in The future direction toward immunological issues of allo-and xeno-islet transplantation: Volume II View all 4 articles
Single-cell Genomics and Spatial Transcriptomics in Islet Transplantation for Diabetes Treatment: Advancing Towards Personalized Therapies
Provisionally accepted- 1 Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- 2 Department of Biology, Skidmore College, New York, American Samoa
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global health crisis affecting millions, with islet transplantation emerging as a promising treatment strategy to restore insulin production. This review synthesizes the current research on single-cell and spatial transcriptomics in the context of islet transplantation, highlighting their potential to revolutionize DM management. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), offers a detailed look into the diversity and functionality within islet grafts, identifying specific cell types and states that influence graft acceptance and function. Spatial transcriptomics complements this by mapping gene expression within the tissue's spatial context, crucial for understanding the microenvironment surrounding transplanted islets and their interactions with host tissues. The integration of these technologies offers a comprehensive view of cellular interactions and microenvironments, elucidating mechanisms underlying islet function, survival, and rejection. This understanding is instrumental in developing targeted therapies to enhance graft performance and patient outcomes. The review emphasizes the significance of these research avenues in informing clinical practices and improving outcomes for patients with DM through more effective islet transplantation strategies. Future research directions include the application of these technologies in personalized medicine, developmental biology, and regenerative medicine, with the potential to predict disease progression and treatment responses. Addressing ethical and technical challenges will be crucial for the successful implementation of these integrated approaches in research and clinical practice, ultimately enhancing our ability to manage DM and improve patient quality of life.
Keywords: diabetes, ScRNA-seq, Spatial transcriptomics, Islet Transplantation, Islet graft, microenvironment
Received: 03 Jan 2025; Accepted: 21 Jan 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mou, Wang, Chen, Luo, Wang and Pu. 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:
Lisha Mou, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
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