Method for differentiating rat hepatic stem cells to insulin-producing cells

Patent Number: 7029915

The invention teaches how to make liver stem cells into cells that resemble pancreatic endocrine cells (ie islets). The patent has 1 independent claim, basically covering a method of endowing hepatic stem cells with an endocrine pancreatic characteristic by first isolating hepatic stem cells from 2-acetylamino-fluorene-treated adult rats and then growing the cells in a medium made of >5.5 mM glucose until the hepatic stem cells differentiate into cells having a pancreatic endocrine cell phenotype. The invention therefore, seems to be restricted to rats. 2-acetylaminofluorene appears to be a carcinogen and toxic to liver..maybe this is a way of killing non-stem cells from liver...or maybe this activates the liver stem cells to expand as a result of the other cells dying.

View this patent on the USPTO website.