Program Type: Discovery
hESC-Derived Motor Neurons For the Treatment of Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
Cervical spinal cord injuries result in a loss of upper limb function because the cells within the spinal cord that control upper limb muscles are destroyed. The goal of this research program is to create a renewable human source of these cells, to restore upper limb function in both acute and chronic spinal cord injuries. […]
Human Embryonic Stem Cell Therapeutic Strategies to Target HIV Disease
AIDS is a disease that currently has no cure. It arises when the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects certain types of blood cells. These cells would normally be used to fight infection, but instead are destroyed by the virus, leading to immunodeficiency. We have recently been able to induce the development of human embryonic stem […]
Mechanisms to maintain the self-renewal and genetic stability of human embryonic stem cells
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are capable of unlimited self-renewal, a process to reproduce self, and retain the ability to differentiate into all cell types in the body. Therefore, hESCs hold great promise for human cell and tissue replacement therapy. Because DNA damage occurs during normal cellular proliferation and can cause DNA mutations leading to […]
Preclinical Model for Labeling, Transplant, and In Vivo Imaging of Differentiated Human Embryonic Stem Cells
The derivation and culture of human embryonic stem cells has provided new possibilities for treatment of a wide variety of human diseases because these cells have the potential to help regenerate and repair many types of damaged tissue. Diseases for which such cell-based treatments may be helpful include obstructive renal disease, a disorder for which […]
MEF2C-Directed Neurogenesis From Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Understanding differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) provides insight into early human development and will help directing hESC differentiation for future cell-based therapies of Parkinson’s disease, stroke and other neurodegenerative conditions. The PI’s laboratory was the first to clone and characterize the transcription factor MEF2C, a protein that can direct the orchestra of genes […]
Generation of inner ear sensory cells from human ES cells toward a cure for deafness
Hearing loss is the leading birth defect in the United States with ~3 children in 1,000 born with partial to profound compromise of auditory function. Debilitating hearing loss is estimated to affect ~4% of people under 45 years of age, and 34% of those 65 years or over. A major cause of why acquired hearing […]
Improved hES Cell Growth and Differentiation
Human embryonic stem (hES) cells are pluripotent stem cells that can theoretically give rise to every cell type in the human body. Consequently, hES cells have enormous promise for the treatment of human disease. Specialized cell types derived from hES cells could be used to treat a wide variety of diseases and disorders including spinal […]
Regulated Expansion of Lympho-hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC)
The clinical potential of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) for transplantation will be realized only when we can develop methods to control the process of tissue differentiation far more efficiently than is currently the case. From over 40 years of experience with adult stem cells, it is recognized that the growth of transplanted bone marrow […]
Regulated Expansion of Lympho-hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC)
The clinical potential of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) for transplantation will be realized only when we can develop methods to control the process of tissue differentiation far more efficiently than is currently the case. From over 40 years of experience with adult stem cells, it is recognized that the growth of transplanted bone marrow […]
Human stem cell derived oligodendrocytes for treatment of stroke and MS
Strokes that affect the nerves cells, i.e., “gray matter”, consistently receive the most attention. However, the kind of strokes that affecting the “wiring” of the brain, i.e., “white matter”, cause nearly as much disability. The most severe disability is caused when the stroke is in the wiring (axons) that connect the brain and spinal cord; […]