Here, a new method that allows the conversion of adult skin fibroblasts into insulin-secreting cells is presented. This technique is based on epigenetic conversion, does not involve the use of retroviral vectors nor the acquisition of a stable pluripotent state. It is therefore highly promising for translational medicine applications.
Brevini, T. A., Pennarossa, G., Maffei, S., Zenobi, A., Gandolfi, F. Epigenetic Conversion as a Safe and Simple Method to Obtain Insulin-secreting Cells from Adult Skin Fibroblasts. J. Vis. Exp. (109), e53880, doi:10.3791/53880 (2016).