Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders, which results from insufficient functional pancreatic β-cell mass either due to the autoimmune destruction of insulin producing β-cells, or their death or de-differentiation as compensation for insulin resistance. The ability to reprogram cell types within close developmental proximity to β-cells offers a strategy to replenish β-cell mass and a future possible treatment of diabetes. Here, we review recent advances in the fields of pancreas development and lineage reprogramming. We also probe the possibility of using reprogrammed cells as an approach by which to further understand developmental mechanisms, in particular roadblocks to changing cell identity. Finally, we highlight fundamental challenges that need to be overcome to advance lineage reprogramming for generating pancreatic cells.

糖尿病是一组代谢紊乱，其原因是功能性胰腺 β 细胞数量不足，或者由于产生胰岛素的 β 细胞的自身免疫性破坏，或者它们的死亡或去分化以补偿胰岛素抵抗。在 β 细胞发育附近重新编程细胞类型的能力提供了一种补充 β 细胞质量的策略和未来可能的糖尿病治疗方法。在这里，我们回顾了胰腺发育和谱系重编程领域的最新进展。我们还探讨了使用重编程细胞作为进一步了解发育机制的方法的可能性，特别是改变细胞身份的障碍。最后，我们强调了需要克服的基本挑战，以推进谱系重编程以产生胰腺细胞。