Year 2
We are continuing our effort to perform somatic cell nuclear transfer in order to obtain immune-compatible embryonic stem cells for future regenerative medicine application in patients. Due to the limited availability of human oocytes, we obtained human ovarian cortical fragments from patients with ovarian tumor and designed an in vitro activation protocol to promote the growth of dormant ovrain follciles, followed by grafting into immune-deficient mice to derive mature oocytes. We have substantially improved the follicle activation approach and shortened the duration needed to generate mature oocytes. We are continuing to reprogram somatic cell nuclei using mature oocytes and further increase the efficiency of embryonic stem cell derivation.