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The development of different organs and tissues along the gastrointestinal tract, including the pancreas, depends on signalling between the endoderm and the adjacent mesenchyme. The Nkx gene Bapx1 is involved in spatial control of organ-positioning in the spleno-pancreatic region, and deficiency in this gene results in unacceptable proximity of the splenic mesenchyme to the pancreas. This permits agitating signals from the splenic mesenchyme to induce an in vivo (and in vitro) transformation of pancreatic epithelium to a cystic structure with gut like features. Also, wild type splenic mesenchyme is competent to induce a similar transformation. These findings illustrate the importance for strict control of organ positioning during spleno-pancreatic development.

Several growth factors and receptors involved in pancreatic development are activated by protease processing. Some of these growth factors have been implicated as substrates for members of the A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease (ADAM) family. The ADAMs 9, 10, and 17 are expressed during pancreatic development and in the adult pancreas, suggesting a possible role for these ADAMs in pancreatic development and function.

Animal model systems are widely used to investigate gene function during development and disease. However, spatial, molecular, and quantitative phenotype screening in animals is a time consuming effort. Optical Projection Tomography is a 3-dimensional imaging technique that, in combination with improvements in sample preparation and computer processing, can be used to visualize and quantify characteristics of intact adult mouse organs such as the total β-cell content in the pancreas.