Homo sapiens Pancreatic and endocrine progenitors Transcriptome
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ABSTRACT: The generation of pancreatic organoids from human pluripotent stem cells represents a major breakthrough for regenerative medicine and the modeling of diseases such as diabetes. However, current approaches remain inefficient due to lengthy multi-step differentiation protocols and limited functional maturity in the organoids. In this study, we overcome these challenges using multi-phase optimization screens to achieve rapid generation of functionally mature pancreatic organoids from a stable endocrine progenitor culture. We conducted stepwise culture condition screens that enabled the stable culture of multiple pancreatic progenitor cell states, including the unprecedented stable propagation of NEUROD1-expressing endocrine progenitor-like cells (EpSCs). Further transcriptomic profiling of EpSC confirmed similarity of that to previously reported endocrine progenitor populations. Using EpSCs, we significantly reduced the number of steps and timing required to generate pancreatic organoids, enabling rapid testing of conditions for organoid maturation. Utilizing this optimized protocol, we further tested conditions to promote pancreatic organoid maturation. We identified that exosome-delivered WNT5B, in combination with RSPO1 (exoW/R), could strongly induce non-canonical WNT/JNK signaling, promoting pancreatic organoid maturation. This combinatorial exosome treatment enhances epithelial organization, reduces immature cell states, and significantly improves glucose responsiveness and insulin secretion. Collectively, our work establishes a robust pancreatic differentiation platform that integrates long-term progenitor expansion with optimized organoid maturation. This system provides a reproducible experimental framework for studying pancreatic development, investigating disease mechanisms, and facilitating future translational applications involving pancreatic organoids.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE348014 | GEO | 2026/09/24
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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