Project Objective: Research Insights
In vitro differentiation of hESCs into corticospinal motor neurons
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive, fatal neurological disease that leads to the degeneration of motor neurons in the brain and in the spinal cord. There are currently 20,000 ALS patients in the United States, and 5,000 new patients are diagnosed every year. Unfortunately no cure has been found for ALS. The only […]
Discovering Potent Molecules with Human ESCs to Treat Heart Disease
This work is directly relevant to human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research because it brings new ideas about novel compounds to affect cardiomyogenesis. The work addresses an urgent need to develop new agents to treat cardiovascular disease. We will develop potent and selective drug-like molecules as cardiomyocyte differentiation agents. Heart disease is the leading cause […]
Programmed Cell Death Pathways Activated in Embryonic Stem Cells
The therapeutic potential of human embryonic stem cells is extraordinary. Without a doubt, regenerative medicines will save thousands of lives in the years to come. Before that day arrives, much needs to be learned from the cells themselves. The reasons that these cells hold so much promise are two-fold: (1) embryonic stem cells can renew […]
Programs of alternative splicing regulation by polypyrimidine tract binding protein
The therapeutic promise of stem cell biology lies in its potential for cell replacement therapies in diseases where an essential cell type of the patient malfunctions or degenerates. This is particularly evident in diseases of the nervous system where cells largely lose their ability to proliferate and thus regenerate after embryonic differentiation. Devastating neurodegenerative disorders, […]
RUNX1 in maintenance, expansion, and differentiation of therapeutic pluripotent stem cells
Recent technical advancements in human embryonic stem cell (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) production have revolutionized their potential applications in regenerative medicine. However, a remaining big hurdle in this process is the need for efficient, effective, and stable generation of specific cell types from such stem cells for therapeutic usage. The ultimate goal […]
TCF-3: A Wnt Pathway Effector and Nanog Regulator in Pluripotent Stem Cell Self-Renewal
Despite the enormous potential for human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for development of new treatments for human disease, there still remain important gaps in our knowledge about the molecular mechanisms regulating establishment and maintenance of the pluripotent state. Improved understanding of fundamental mechanisms regulating pluripotency could improve the […]
Cellular Reprogramming: Dissecting the Molecular Mechanism and Enhancing Efficiency
Pluripotent stem cells have a remarkable potential to develop into virtually any cell type of the body, making them a powerful tool for the study or direct treatment of human disease. Recent demonstration that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells may be derived from differentiated adult cells offers unprecedented opportunities for basic biology research, regenerative medicine, […]
Systemic Protein Factors as Modulators of the Aging Neurogenic Niche
Approaches to repair the injured brain or even prevent age-related neurodegeneration are in their infancy but there is growing interest in the role of neural stem cells in these conditions. Indeed, there is hope that some day stem cells can be used for the treatment of spinal cord injury, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease and stem […]
Kinase signaling analysis of iPS cell reprogramming and differentiation
Like embryonic stem (ES) cells, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can differentiate into every cell type in the body, providing enormous potential for regenerative medicine. Unlike ES cells, the derivation of iPS cells is more straightforward technically, and can be performed on human adult cells. This potentially obviates the need for donated eggs or embryos, […]
The EphrinB2/EphB4 axis in regulating hESC pluripotency and differentiation
Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) have an inexhaustible ability to divide and renew, and under the appropriate conditions, differentiate and change into any cell type in the body. This balance between pluripotency and self-renewal is a complex and carefully choreographed response of the hESC to local microenvironmental cues. Understanding the molecular regulators of this balance, […]