Scienceline Publications Journal of Life Science and Biomedicine 2251-9939 9 4 2019 July Review on: regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and stem cell therapy in diabetes mellitus 102 108 https://jlsb.science-line.com/attachments/article/71/J.%20Life%20Sci.%20Biomed.%209(4)%20102-108,%202019.pdf EN Mastewal BIRHAN College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal science, Department Veterinary Paraclinical Studies, University of Gondar, Ethiopia Introduction. In view of the recent success in pancreatic islet transplantation, interest in treating diabetes by the delivery of insulin-producing β-cells has been renewed. Because differentiated pancreatic β-cells cannot be expanded significantly in vitro, β-cell stem or progenitor cells are seen as a potential source for the preparation of transplantable insulin-producing tissue. In addition to embryonic stem (ES) cells, several potential adult islet/β-cell progenitors, derived from pancreas, liver, and bone marrow, are being studied. To date, none of the candidate cells has been fully characterized or is clinically applicable, but pancreatic physiology makes the existence of one or more types of adult islet stem cells very likely. It also seems possible that pluripotential stem cells, derived from the bone marrow, contribute to adult islet neogenesis. Aim. In future studies, more stringent criteria should be met to clonally define adult islet/β-cell progenitor cells. If this can be achieved, the utilization of these cells for the generation of insulin-producing β-cells in vitro seems to be feasible in the near future. This review will focus on the potential of adult tissue-derived stem cells, in lieu of embryo-derived stem cells, for the treatment of diabetes. We discuss the role of adult islet stem/progenitor cells in normal physiology, highlight possible candidate cells isolated to date, and describe different approaches for stem cell-based therapy. Embryonic Stem Cells Insulin-Producing Pancreatic Islet Physiology β-cells