Method for transdifferentiation of non-pancreatic stem cells to the pancreatic differentiation pathway

A method of transdifferentiating mammalian non-pancreatic stem cells selected from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to enter the pancreatic differentiation pathway, comprising:

• culturing said stem cells in a medium that permits the expression of pancreatic differentiation markers;
• wherein said medium is comprised of following constituents:
• Dulbecco's Minimal Essential Medium (DMEM) with high glucose and sodium pyruvate, bovine or human serum albumin, 2-mercaptoethanol, fetal calf or human serum, penicillin and streptomycin (Pen-Strep), and insulin, transferrin and selenium (ITS);
• wherein said HSCs are cultured for at least 14 days in said medium plus added factors comprising stem cell factor (SCF), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), activin A, betacellulin, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), prolactin (PRL), nerve growth factor (NGF), transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α), gastrin, and conditioned medium of a cell line selected from the group consisting of Capan-1, ARIP and AR42J;
• wherein said MSCs are cultured for at least 21 days in said medium plus added factors comprising stem cell factor (SCF), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), activin A, betacellulin, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF, prolactin (PRL), nerve growth factor (NGF), transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α), gastrin, and optionally conditioned medium of a cell line selected from the group consisting of Capan-1, ARIP and AR42J.