Controlling Human Stem Cell-Derived Islet Composition Using Magnetic Sorting

Stem cell-derived islets (SC-islets) consist of multiple hormone-producing cell types and offer a promising therapeutic avenue for treating type 1 diabetes (T1D). Currently, the composition of cell types generated within these SC-islets cannot be controlled via soluble factors during this differentiation process and consist of off-target cell types. In this study, we devised a magnetic-activated cell sorting protocol to enrich SC-islets for CD49a, a marker associated with functional insulin-producing β cells. SC-islets were generated from human pluripotent stem cells using an adherent differentiation protocol and then sorted and aggregated into islet-like clusters to produce CD49a-enriched, CD49a-depleted, and unsorted SC-islets. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and immunostaining revealed that CD49a-enriched SC-islets had higher proportions of β cells and improved transcriptional identity compared to other cell types. Functional assays demonstrated that CD49a-enriched SC-islets exhibited enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion both In vitro and In Vivo following transplantation into diabetic mice. These findings suggest that CD49a-based sorting significantly improves β cell identity and the overall function of SC-islets, improving their effectiveness for T1D cell replacement therapies.