Pancreatic islets and transdifferentiate into beta cells in both healthy and diabetic human and mouse pancreatic islets, a possible future source for beta cell regeneration. Pancreatic islets The pancreatic islets or islets of Langerhans are the regions of the pancreas that contain its endocrine (hormone-producing) cells, discovered in 1869 by German pathological anatomist Paul Langerhans. The pancreatic islets constitute 1 to 2% of the pancreas volume and receive 10–15% of its blood flow. The pancreatic islets are arranged in density routes throughout the human pancreas, and are important in the metabolism of glucose. There are about 3 million islets distributed in the
Chain Islets Chain Islets The Chain Islets and Great Chain Island (occasionally Great Chain Islet) are a group of at least 18 islets situated off the east coast of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada. They lie in Mayor Channel about halfway between Mary Tod Island (W) and Discovery Island (E). Most of the islets are very small, rocky, and are unnamed, except for Great Chain Island which is covered in grass and herbaceous cover with occasional shrub thickets. The islets are noted as an important gathering place for harbor seals in the summer and for many seabirds such as seagulls and cormorants.