Molecular regulation of stem cell potency
The field of stem cell biology as it applies to regenerative medicine requires a detailed understanding of what controls stem cell function. Our fundamental interest is in the molecular pathways…
Directed Differentiation of Specialized Endothelial Cells
Vascular endothelial cells (EC) or endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) derived from stem cells could potentially lead to a variety of clinically relevant therapeutic applications, including various strategies for treating heart…
Biophysical Determinants of Early Embryonic Stem Cell Fate Specification
Regenerative therapies require effective differentiation of stem cells to cell types that are functionally identical to those found in vivo. Many current differentiation protocols merely involve optimization of proteins added…
Engineered matrices for control of lineage commitment in human pancreatic stem cells
Patients with end-stage type 1 diabetes (T1D) can be effectively managed by allogeneic islet transplantation. However, a severe cadaveric organ shortage greatly limits use of this promising procedure. Stem cells…
Metabolically-driven epigenetic changes in iPSC reprogramming
Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells through cellular reprogramming offers tremendous potential for therapeutics, the study of disease states, and elucidation of developmental processes. Central to…
Role of intracytoplasmic pattern recognition receptors in HSC engraftment
The research performed through this project is very important for the fields of solid organ and bone marrow transplantation because it focuses on a potential new target to increase engraftment…
Paracrine and synaptic mechanisms underlying neural stem cell-mediated stroke recovery
Stem cell therapy holds promise for the almost million Americans yearly who suffer a stroke. Preclinical data have shown that human neural stem cells (hNSCs) aid recovery after stroke, resulting…
Metabolic regulation of cardiac differentiation and maturation
Cells in the body take up nutrients from their environment and metabolize them in a complex set of biochemical reactions to generate energy and replicate. Control of these processes is…
Assessing the mechanism by which the Bone Morphogenetic Proteins direct stem cell fate
Our goal is to use the mechanisms that generate neuronal networks to create neurons from stem cells, to either replace diseased and damaged tissue or as a source of material…
Innate Immune Regulation of Lung Alveolar Stem Cell Renewal in Mouse and Man
The lung, along with the skin and gut are the three organs in perpetual contact with our environment. The lung has evolved mechanisms for repairing injury due to exogenous noxious…
