Move over Akita: Introducing 'Kuma mutant' mice for islet transplantation research

Scientists have used a gene editing technique to establish a novel mouse model of permanent neonatal diabetes -- the immune-deficient Kuma mutant mice with a specific deletion in the Insulin2 (Ins2) gene. This model is expected to be useful for studying the mechanisms governing insulin-producing cell dysfunctions in the pancreas as well as for evaluating human stem-cell derived or interspecies-derived insulin-producing cell transplantation.