Development and Characterization of Gallbladder Epithelial Cells

胰岛素产生细胞的死亡是1型和2型糖尿病的一个共同特征，影响了超过100万澳大利亚人。虽然尸体胰岛移植提供了治愈，缺乏供体胰岛是一个主要的限制。另一种方法是寻找其他产生胰岛素的细胞来源。我们是第一个证明在人类胆囊中天然存在胰岛素产生细胞的人。这项研究计划将涉及人类胆囊源性胰岛素产生细胞的详细特征。

Death of insulin-producing cells is a common feature of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, affecting over a million Australians. Although transplantation of cadaveric human islets offers cure, lack of donor islets is a major limitations. An alternative is to find other sources of insulin-producing cells. We are the first to demonstrate that insulin-producing cells are naturally found in human gallbladder. This research proposal will involve detailed characterization of human gallbladder-derived insulin-producing cells.