The National Centre for Genomic Analysis (CNAG) and the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC) have participated in the creation of a new cellular atlas of the human pancreas. This valuable resource, the result of an international collaboration coordinated by the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH), offers the most comprehensive picture to date of the diversity and adaptability of pancreatic cells, at an unprecedented scale and level of detail.
The atlas analyzes over four million cells and cell nuclei from pancreatic tissue samples donated by 57 people, covering different life stages from fetal development to healthy adulthood, as well as type 2 diabetes (T2D). This research, published in Cell Metabolism, helps researchers understand how the pancreas functions and responds to disease.
Among the key findings is the identification of a new, rare cell population, named plastic centroacinar-like cells (pCACs), which exhibits remarkable adaptability and plasticity. This discovery suggests that the adult human pancreas retains cells capable of responding to injury or changing conditions, with implications for tissue repair and disease development.
The study also examined the response of pancreatic cells to high glucose levels, revealing different reactions depending on cell type and identifying molecular alterations in beta cells (insulin-producing cells) in patients with type 2 diabetes. These findings open new avenues for understanding metabolic diseases and developing novel therapies.
