Pancreatic Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells

Organogenesis of the liver, biliary tree and pancreas is well described in fetal development. Stem/progenitor cells proliferate and subsequently differentiate during early stages of development of the definitive ventral endoderm and these cells contribute to the formation of the foregut. The ongoing debate persists regarding the reactivation of these processes during the postnatal period. Findings regarding this phenomenon have been demonstrated for the liver and biliary tree, and recent studies have demonstrated that this process is also occurring within the pancreas. Despite these observations the mechanisms associated with the processes involved with postnatal organogenesis are not well understood.