Insulin resistance in diabetes: The promise of using induced pluripotent stem cell technology

Figure 3 Using human induced pluripotent stem cells to study insulin resistance. A schematic diagram showed the possibility of using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to study insulin resistance (IR) with special focus on the genetic factors. Somatic cells are reprogrammed into pluripotency to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) carrying the genetic signatures of insulin sensitive and IR individuals. The generated iPSCs can be differentiated in vitro into the main insulin-target cells, including hepatocyte, adipocyte, and skeletal myotubes as well as insulin producing β-cells. Genome editing tools can be used to correct specific mutations in the generated iPSCs to establish the isogenic iPSC control. Studying those cells can help in understanding the signaling pathways involved in the development of IR and type 2 diabetes. Also, these hiPSC-based models can be used for drug screening. iPSCs: Induced pluripotent stem cells.