Live Cell Monitoring and Enrichment of Stem Cell-Derived β Cells Using Intracellular Zinc Content as a Population Marker

Our laboratory and others have developed protocols to generate glucose-responsive stem cell–derived β cells in vitro. The cells resulting from these protocols could supplement or replace the use of human cadaveric islets for cell-based therapy for diabetes. The combination of an unlimited supply of pluripotent stem cell–derived β cells and gene-editing approaches will facilitate numerous in vitro studies not possible with cadaveric islets. Here, we describe a protocol for fluorescent labeling and isolation of stem cell–derived β cells. This purification of SC-β cells is based on intracellular zinc content and is a simple method to complement other approaches for generating and assaying these cells.