When new fellows join my lab, I give them some reading materials so that they can orient themselves in their assignment in a new eld. When fellows leave my lab, some after writing their dissertations, I prefer to give them a book as a symbolic present. I was longing for a book that contained something on more or less eve- thing about the islets. At the same time, I wished it contained information as recent as possible. There are a few such books in the market but they are pretty outdated. I started picking islets myself from October 1990, when I joined the Rolf Luft Center, Karolinska Institutet. Over the years my fascination for islet research remained high. Since last year, I felt a stronger urge to do more for these mysterious and hidden mini-organs that are directly or indirectly involved in the pathogenesis of all forms of diabetes that affects ?250 million people in the world. After I launched the Islet (landesbioscience. com/journals/islets) and founded the Islet Society (isletso- ety. org), there was a momentum that could be utilized to create something equally meaningful i. e. this book. The idea cracked in September 2008. Starting September 19, 2008, I contacted an estimated 90% of the authors who published anything on the islets during 2007-2008 and who could be traced from the internet.
This book is a unique and thoughtful blend of critical background information and advances made in a multitude of areas of contemporary islet research. It is an essential reference book, the first of its kind in many years, for professionals as well as for the beginners interested in the study of islet physiology and diabetes. The book is unique in its breadth: it deals with anatomy, histology, ultra-structure, evolution and comparative anatomy, imaging, developmental biology, programming, apoptosis, mitochondrial function, metabolism, cellular signaling, electrophysiology, oscillation of hormone secretion, islets of model animals, immunology, proteomics, regenerative medicine, clinical advances, islet transplantation, and finally islet tumors. Individual chapters contributed by over a hundred experts and enthusiasts, not only provide a balanced view of the recent advances made in the respective fields, but also provide directions and thoughts for future research. Thanks to vivid and colorful illustrations, tables and sketches, the book as a whole, and the individual chapters make reading a pleasant experience. It is a valuable compilation that one would love to possess personally and buy as a present to a colleague.
