The regeneration (REG) family consists of secretory proteins involved in liver, pancreatic, gastric and intestinal cell proliferation or differentiation. Members of the REG family are divided into four subclasses, designated types I, II, III and IV. They have been implicated in the regulation of cell growth, tumorigenesis and the progression of cancer. Specifically, increased expression of Reg III Alpha results in pancreatic inflammation and liver carcinogenesis. Reg III Alpha, also de-signated pancreatitis-associated protein, localizes to the apical region of pancreatic acinar cells and is similar to the C-type lectin superfamily. The Reg III Alpha protein is mainly expressed in the intestine, with lower expression detected in healthy pancreas. It is also detected in pancreatic juice as a result of pancreatic inflammation.