Aaron I. Vinik, M.D., Ph.D. I IEastem Virginia Medical School The Diabetes Institutes Norfolk, Virginia 23510 This symposium, held in June 1991, was a gathering of international scientists to exchange their views on current concepts of cell growth and differentiation. Each scientist was asked to present a topic of their research related to cell growth and regeneration and to participate in a round table conference elaborating on current knowledge and sharing their experiences. By furthering this promising area of endeavor, a means of understanding ontogeny of cell development and of providing insights into tumor biology would prevail. Of prime importance was the anticipation that new information from a better understanding of the normal evolution of the pancreatic islet would generate alternative approaches to curing diabetes. This forward serves as a short introduction to the concept of pancreatic islet regeneration and the models currently in use to study the process. DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGIN OF ISLETS DURING EMRYOGENESIS The developing pancreas appears as a protrusion from the dorsal surface of the l embryonic gut. The different islet cell types appear sequentially during development in vivo. It therefore seems reasonable to propose that coordinated growth is dependent upon specificity of growth factors.

Aaron I. Vinik, M.D., Ph.D. I IEastem Virginia Medical School The Diabetes Institutes Norfolk, Virginia 23510 This symposium, held in June 1991, was a gathering of international scientists to exchange their views on current concepts of cell growth and differentiation. Each scientist was asked to present a topic of their research related to cell growth and regeneration and to participate in a round table conference elaborating on current knowledge and sharing their experiences. By furthering this promising area of endeavor, a means of understanding ontogeny of cell development and of providing insights into tumor biology would prevail. Of prime importance was the anticipation that new information from a better understanding of the normal evolution of the pancreatic islet would generate alternative approaches to curing diabetes. This forward serves as a short introduction to the concept of pancreatic islet regeneration and the models currently in use to study the process. DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGIN OF ISLETS DURING EMRYOGENESIS The developing pancreas appears as a protrusion from the dorsal surface of the l embryonic gut. The different islet cell types appear sequentially during development in vivo. It therefore seems reasonable to propose that coordinated growth is dependent upon specificity of growth factors.