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STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Progenitor Kit

Serum-free medium for the differentiation of human ES and iPS cells to pancreatic progenitor cells

Need a high-quality cell source? Choose from our hiPSC healthy control lines, manufactured with mTeSR™ Plus.

STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Progenitor Kit

Serum-free medium for the differentiation of human ES and iPS cells to pancreatic progenitor cells

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Serum-free medium for the differentiation of human ES and iPS cells to pancreatic progenitor cells
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Product Advantages


  • Generates functional pancreatic progenitor cells for transplantation into animal models or for further maturation into insulin-producing beta cells

  • Efficient and reproducible differentiation of multiple hPSC lines to pancreatic progenitor cells expressing PDX-1, NKX6.1, and SOX9

  • Serum-free medium

  • Compatible with multiple human ES and iPS cell lines maintained in mTeSR™1 or mTeSR™ Plus.

What's Included

  • STEMdiff™ Endoderm Basal Medium, 100 mL
  • STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Stage 2 - 4 Basal Medium, 265 mL
  • STEMdiff™ Definitive Endoderm Supplement MR (100X), 350 µL
  • STEMdiff™ Definitive Endoderm Supplement CJ (100X), 1.1 mL
  • STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Supplement 2A, 240 µL
  • STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Supplement 2B, 720 µL
  • STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Supplement 3, 720 µL
  • STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Supplement 4, 1.2 mL
Products for Your Protocol
To see all required products for your protocol, please consult the Protocols and Documentation.

Overview

STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Progenitor Kit is a serum-free medium that supports efficient and reproducible generation of pancreatic progenitor cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). Cells are differentiated through four stages: 1) definitive endoderm, 2) primitive gut tube, 3) posterior foregut endoderm, and 4) pancreatic progenitor cells. The differentiated cells express key markers of pancreatic progenitor cells, including PDX-1, NKX6.1 and SOX9 and up-regulation of insulin and glucagon. The resulting pancreatic progenitor cells can be further differentiated to insulin-producing beta cells or other endocrine and exocrine pancreatic cell fates.

STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Progenitor Kit has been optimized for differentiation of cells maintained in mTeSR™1 (Catalog #85850) or mTeSR™ Plus (Catalog #100-0276).
Subtype
Specialized Media
Cell Type
Pancreatic Cells, Pluripotent Stem Cells
Species
Human
Application
Cell Culture, Differentiation
Brand
STEMdiff
Area of Interest
Cancer, Disease Modeling, Epithelial Cell Biology, Stem Cell Biology
Formulation Category
Serum-Free

More Information

More Information
Safety Statement

CA WARNING: This product can expose you to Progesterone which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information go to

Data Figures

Pancreatic Differentiation of Progenitor Cells into Mature Endocrine and Exocrine Cells

Figure 1. Pancreatic Progenitor Cells can Mature into Endocrine and Exocrine Cells

A) Representative image showing pancreatic progenitor cells expressing PDX-1 (red) and NKX6.1 (green). Yellow staining indicates co‑expression of both markers in the majority of cells as is observed in the developing human pancreas.1 (B, C) Cells transplanted into mice can mature into endocrine and exocrine cells.
B) shows endocrine clusters expressing synaptophysin (red) surrounded by ductal structures expressing CK-19 (green).
C) Shows islet-like structures containing monohormonal cells that individually express insulin (red), glucagon (green) or somatostatin (blue). Data in (B, C) are from the laboratory of Dr. Timothy J. Kieffer (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada).

A. The STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Progenitor Kit Functions Efficiently Across Multiple hPSC Lines
B. The STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Progenitor Kit Functions Efficiently Across Multiple hPSC Lines

Figure 2. The STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Progenitor Kit Functions Efficiently Across Multiple hPSC Lines

PDX-1 and NKX6.1 expression measured in pancreatic progenitor cells derived from four different hPSC lines (H1, H9, WLS-4D1 and WLS-1C) at the end of Stage 4. (A) Representative flow cytometry plots show PDX-1 and NKX6.1 co-expression in differentiated H9 cells. (B) Quantitative data for PDX-1/NKX6.1 co-expression in two human ES (H1 and H9) and two human iPS (WLS-4D1 and WLS-1C) cell lines (n = 5-10 per cell line). Data are plotted as individual points representing the mean of duplicates within a single experiment. The horizontal line represents the mean of all experiments, with error bars indicating the standard error of the mean (SEM). The average efficiency of pancreatic progenitor differentiation ranges from 61.5% to 77.7% depending on the cell line.

Gene Expression Profile is Indicative of Transition to Pancreatic Progenitor Cells

Figure 3. Gene Expression Profile is Indicative of Transition to Pancreatic Progenitor Cells

Gene expression profile at the end of each stage of differentiation for key markers of pancreatic progenitor cells. Expression was normalized to 18S ribosomal RNA and TATA Binding Protein (TBP). Data are the mean ± SEM for 3 - 5 experiments. Expression pattern is consistent with published data.²
 
1. Riedel M et al. (2012) Immunohistochemical characterization of cells co-producing insulin and glucagon in the developing human pancreas. Diabetologia 55(2): 372-81.
2. Rezania A et al. (2014) Reversal of diabetes with insulin-producing cells derived in vitro from human pluripotent stem cells. Nat Biotechnol 32(11): 1121-33.

Density plots and quantitative analysis showing PDX-1 and NKX6.1 expression in cells cultured in mTeSR™1 or mTeSR™ Plus, following 5 days of differentiation using the STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Progenitor Kit.

Figure 4. Generation of Pancreatic Progenitors from hPSCs Maintained in mTeSR™ Plus

(A) Representative density plots showing PDX-1 and NKX6.1 expression in cells cultured in mTeSR™1 (daily feeds) or mTeSR™ Plus (restricted feeds), following differentiation using the STEMdiff™ Pancreatic Progenitor Kit. (B) Quantitative analysis of pancreatic progenitor formation in multiple hPS (H9, STiPS-M001, WLS-1C) cell lines maintained with mTeSR™1 or mTeSR™ Plus as measured by co-expression of PDX-1 and NKX6.1. Data are expressed as the mean percentage of cells (± SEM) expressing both markers; n=3.

Protocols and Documentation

Find supporting information and directions for use in the Product Information Sheet or explore additional protocols below.

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Applications

This product is designed for use in the following research area(s) as part of the highlighted workflow stage(s). Explore these workflows to learn more about the other products we offer to support each research area.

Resources and Publications

We get a really great efficiency of differentiation in several pluripotent stem cell lines determined by expression of key markers: upregulation of PDX1, SOX9, FOXA2 and GATA4, and down-regulation of Sox17. We can generate these pancreatic progenitor cells reproducibly and efficiently; variability within the protocol is low.

Drs. Jamie Trott and Ray Dunn, A*STAR Institute of Medical Biology (IMB), Singapore

Publications (4)

A perfect islet: reviewing recent protocol developments and proposing strategies for stem cell derived functional pancreatic islets S. Sali et al. Stem Cell Research & Therapy 2025 Mar

Abstract

The search for an effective cell replacement therapy for diabetes has driven the development of “perfect” pancreatic islets from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). These hPSC-derived pancreatic islet-like β cells can overcome the limitations for disease modelling, drug development and transplantation therapies in diabetes. Nevertheless, challenges remain in generating fully functional and mature β cells from hPSCs. This review underscores the significant efforts made by researchers to optimize various differentiation protocols aimed at enhancing the efficiency and quality of hPSC-derived pancreatic islets and proposes methods for their improvement. By emulating the natural developmental processes of pancreatic embryogenesis, specific growth factors, signaling molecules and culture conditions are employed to guide hPSCs towards the formation of mature β cells capable of secreting insulin in response to glucose. However, the efficiency of these protocols varies greatly among different human embryonic stem cell (hESC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines. This variability poses a particular challenge for generating patient-specific β cells. Despite recent advancements, the ultimate goal remains to develop a highly efficient directed differentiation protocol that is applicable across all genetic backgrounds of hPSCs. Although progress has been made, further research is required to optimize the protocols and characterization methods that could ensure the safety and efficacy of hPSC-derived pancreatic islets before they can be utilized in clinical settings.
HELLS is required for maintaining proper DNA modification at human satellite repeats Genome Biology 2025 Jul

Abstract

DNA methylation regulation involves multi-layered chromatin interactions that require remodeling proteins like the helicase, lymphoid-specific (HELLS). Here, we generate HELLS and DNA methyltransferase 3A and B (DNMT3A/B) knockout human pluripotent stem cells and report telomere-to-telomere maps of whole genome bisulfite sequencing data combined with ATAC-sequencing. Disrupting HELLS induces a global loss of DNA methylation that is distinct from the DNMTs, in particular over peri/centromeric satellite repeats as defined in the telomere-to-telomere genome assembly. However, HELLS appears dispensable for local enhancer remodeling and the potential to differentiate into the three embryonic germ layers. Taken together, our results further clarify the genomic targets and role of HELLS in human cells.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13059-025-03681-9.
Atelocollagen supports three-dimensional culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells Y. Nakashima et al. Molecular Therapy. Methods & Clinical Development 2024 Jul

Abstract

As autologous induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) therapy requires a custom-made small-lot cell production line, and the cell production method differs significantly from the existing processes for producing allogeneic iPSC stocks for clinical use. Specifically, mass culture to produce stock is no longer necessary; instead, a series of operations from iPSC production to induction of differentiation of therapeutic cells must be performed continuously. A three-dimensional (3D) culture method using small, closed-cell manufacturing devices is suitable for autologous iPSC therapy. The use of such devices avoids the need to handle many patient-derived specimens in a single clean room; handling of cell cultures in an open system in a cell processing facility increases the risk of infection. In this study, atelocollagen beads were evaluated as a 3D biomaterial to assist 3D culture in the establishment, expansion culture, and induction of differentiation of iPSCs. It was found that iPSCs can be handled in a closed-cell device with the same ease as use of a two-dimensional (2D) culture when laminin-511 is added to the medium. In conclusion, atelocollagen beads enable 3D culture of iPSCs, and the quality of the obtained cells is at the same level as those derived from 2D culture.
Need a high-quality cell source? Choose from our hiPSC healthy control lines, manufactured with mTeSR™ Plus.