Source: Daily Telegraph - UK
Posted: 18 June 2008 6:01pm BST
Summary:
Scientists converted specialist "pancreatic exocrine cells" that secrete digestive enzymes, into beta cells, which make the hormone insulin to control blood sugar levels. This was achieved by locating genes that control how the genetic code is interpreted by cells to turn them into brain, bone, heart and other human cell types. The scientists discovered nine so called transcription factor genes were important for beta cell production. Using a standard method of genetic modification where a virus is used to introduced a gene, they injected the viruses into the pancreases of lab mice and found that some of the pancreatic exocrine cells turned into fully functional beta cells and produced insulin.
