Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes

Lorenzo Piemonti is an Associate Professor at the University of Vita-Salute San Raffaele. His area of expertise is mainly focused on diabetes and pancreatology. In particular, he has large experience about diabetes therapy and pathophysiology, regenerative medicine and pancreatic cancer. In addition, his research interests include beta cell replacement, immune tolerance induction strategies, dendritic cell biology, and stem cells.

Jon S Odorico is a  Professor in the Section of Kidney and Pancreas Surgery and Division of Transplantation at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Timothy Kieffer is a Professor in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences at the University of British Columbia.

Valeria Sordi is Project leader, Beta cell Differentiantion, at the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele.

Eelco de Koning is  professor of diabetology at the , Leiden University Medical Center.

Mimicking pancreas development with human pluripotent stem cells.- Pancreatic cell fate specification: insights into developmental mechanisms and their application for lineage reprogramming.- The evolution of methods for in vitro differentiation of stem cell derived islets.- Signaling pathways that govern the formation, expansion and maturation of pancreatic progenitors.- Building islets from the ground up using stem cells.- Pancreatic progenitor proliferation.- Selecting biocompatible biomaterials for stem cell derived islet transplantation.- Scaffolds for encapsulation of stem-cell-derived beta cells.- 3d printing of new islets.- Biological scaffolds and hydrogels in islet organoids.- 3-D organoids of mesenchymal stromal and pancreatic islet cells.- Bioengineered insulin producing endocrine tissues.- Bioactive materials for cell encapsulation.- Strategies to boost islet graft oxygenation.- Vascularizing device strategies.- Immunogenicity of stem cell derived islets.- Immune evasive stemcell islets.- Encapsulation of stem cell-derived islets: recent progress.- Islet immunoengineering.- Stem cell genome editing tools.- Selection of SC-derived pancreatic progenitors and beta cell.- Considerations pertaining to implant sites for cell-based insulin replacement.- Safety switches in pluripotent stem cells.- Safety: teratoma risk.- Stem cell derived islets transplantation in non-human primates.- Social / Legal / Ethical issues pertaining to use of pluripotent stem cells.- Cost-effectiveness considerations for stem cell derived islet replacement therapy.- Lessons from clinical trials of islet cell replacement.- Scale up and Biomanufacturing of Stem Cell- derived Islets.- Minimal SC-beta cell properties for transplantation in diabetic patients.- Autologous stem cell islets for patients with chronic pancreatitis and diabetes.- Clinical Trials.- Modeling monogenic diabetes with stem cells.- Stem and progenitor cells in pancreas development, regeneration and drug screening.