Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Showing 1-100 of 120 Results
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Vincent Michael Alford
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy interest in science and research was fostered at a young age after losing a family member to colorectal cancer. At that young age, it was made apparent to me that cancer remains poorly understood which is reflected in the total lack of target-specific treatment regiments available to this patient population. This disparity in patient care is what inspired me to pursue a Ph.D in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at Stony Brook University (SBU). During my time at SBU, my dissertation research focused on the development of a standard approach for rational drug design against the functional activity of individual matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Results from this work led to the successful development of the first small molecule inhibitor specifically targeting the hemopexin domain of MMP-9. Additionally, I was also given the opportunity to assist in the development of a cell based High-Throughput Screen assay for the identification of small molecules with activity against cancer cell invasion.
After obtaining my Ph.D, I pursued a postdoctoral scholar position at Stanford University within the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Currently, my projects have slowly become broader and more focused around protein chemistry. More specifically, my research interest lies in identifying protein targets or cell populations responsible for chronic illnesses such as Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. After identifying the target, my passion lies in understanding the biological function of said target in various biological signaling cascades and cell niche population maintenance. Another area I specialize in is assigning function to the various domains of individual proteins and prioritizing drug development against the most promising targets. Upon identification of the target and validation of the domains responsible for protein activity- it becomes my mission to develop specific inhibitors against them. To this end, I use techniques such as protein mutagenesis, expression, and purification systems in addition to x-ray crystallography and chemical-protein structure activity relationships to understand, rationally design, and optimize these small molecule inhibitors for potential use in clinical trials. -
Ash A. Alizadeh, MD/PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine (Oncology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research is focused on attaining a better understanding of the initiation, maintenance, and progression of tumors, and their response to current therapies toward improving future treatment strategies. In this effort, I employ tools from functional genomics, computational biology, molecular genetics, and mouse models.
Clinically, I specialize in the care of patients with lymphomas, working on translating our findings in prospective cancer clinical trials. -
Lay Teng Ang
Instructor, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
BioAs a stem cell biologist, my overall goal is to understand the mechanisms through which stem cells differentiate into progressively-specialized cell-types and to harness this knowledge to artificially generate pure populations of desired cell-types from stem cells. My work over the past 10 years has centered on pluripotent stem cells (PSCs, which include embryonic and pluripotent stem cells), which have the remarkable ability to generate any of the hundreds of diverse cell-types in the body. However, it has been notoriously difficult to guide PSCs to differentiate into a pure population of a given cell-type. Current differentiation strategies typically generate heterogeneous cell populations unsuitable for basic research or clinical applications. To address this challenge, I mapped the cascade of branching lineage choices through which PSCs differentiate into a variety of endodermal and mesodermal cell-types. I then developed effective methods to differentiate PSCs into specific lineages by providing the extracellular signal(s) that specify a given lineage while inhibiting the signals that induce the alternate fate(s), enabling the generation of highly-pure human heart, bone (Loh & Chen et al., 2016; Cell) and liver (Loh & Ang et al., 2014; Cell Stem Cell) from PSCs. In particular, I have focused on generating pure populations of liver progenitors from PSCs; these PSC-derived human liver progenitors regenerated human liver tissue, and improved the survival of, mouse models of liver failure (Ang et al., 2018; Cell Reports). My goal is to complete the preclinical development of PSC-derived liver progenitors as a potential cellular replacement therapy for liver failure. This project will be facilitated by my experience with PSC differentiation, assays of liver cell identity and function, and mouse models of liver failure.
I earned my Ph.D. jointly from the University of Cambridge and A*STAR and was subsequently appointed as a Research Fellow, and later, a Senior Research Fellow, at the Genome Institute of Singapore. At Singapore, I was an independent group leader and received extramural funding support as PI or co-PI on three government grants. In April 2018, I moved my laboratory to Stanford University as a Siebel Investigator and Instructor at the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine. My laboratory is supported by the Siebel Investigatorship and two grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. -
Jane Antony
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsAlthough varying degrees of progress has been made to treat the heterogenous subtypes of breast cancers, metastasis and recurrence remains a major cause of breast cancer-related deaths. My research focuses on drivers of tumor growth and testing new targets for these breast cancers to prevent metastasis and recurrence; specifically, profiling and validating genes enriched in the self-renewing tumorigenic compartment.
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Philip Beachy
The Ernest and Amelia Gallo Professor in the School of Medicine, Professor of Urology, of Developmental Biology and, by courtesy, of Chemical and Systems Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsFunction of Hedgehog proteins and other extracellular signals in morphogenesis (pattern formation), in injury repair and regeneration (pattern maintenance). We study how the distribution of such signals is regulated in tissues, how cells perceive and respond to distinct concentrations of signals, and how such signaling pathways arose in evolution. We also study the normal roles of such signals in stem-cell physiology and their abnormal roles in the formation and expansion of cancer stem cells.
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Joydeep Bhadury
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy long-term goal is to generate whole human organs in large research animals, which will be universally immune compatible and ready for human transplantation.
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Jamie Brett
MD Student, expected graduation Spring 2020
Ph.D. Student in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, admitted Autumn 2012
MSTP StudentCurrent Research and Scholarly InterestsAging, rejuvenation, exercise, stem cells, cancer, metabolism
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Michael F. Clarke, M.D.
Karel H. and Avice N. Beekhuis Professor in Cancer Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Clarke maintains a laboratory focused on two areas of research: i) the control of self-renewal of normal stem cells and diseases such as cancer and hereditary diseases; and ii) the identification and characterization of cancer stem cells. His laboratory is investigating how perturbations of stem cell regulatory machinery contributes to human disease. In particular, the laboratory is investigating epigenetic regulators of self renewal, the process by which stem cells regenerate themselves.
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Agnieszka Czechowicz
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Stem Cell Transplantation)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Czechowicz’s research is aimed at understanding how hematopoietic stem cells interact with their microenvironment in order to subsequently modulate these interactions to improve bone marrow transplantation and unlock biological secrets that further enable regenerative medicine broadly. This work can be applied across a variety of disease states ranging from rare genetic diseases, autoimmune diseases, solid organ transplantation, microbiome-augmentation and cancer.
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Thiago De Almeida Pereira
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research focus on fibrosis pathogenesis, identifying key pathways for therapeutic intervention and biomarker discovery. I'm currently investigating the Hedgehog pathway in liver and lung fibrotic diseases, such as schistosomiasis mansoni, alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis B and C, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. I'm also investigating the role of tumor associated macrophages and cancer associated fibroblasts in liver and head and neck cancers.
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Tushar Desai
Associate Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe investigate the cellular and molecular events that regulate proper development of the lungs, including how the gas exchange region is maintained and renewed throughout life. We apply this knowledge to dissect how dysregulation of these normal processes can cause or contribute to specific lung diseases like pulmonary fibrosis, emphysema, and lung cancer, and we are interested in uncovering how lung stem cells are regulated in the hopes of harnessing them as a regenerative therapy for patients.
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Maximilian Diehn, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology (Radiation Therapy)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy laboratory focuses on two main areas: 1) cancer stem cell biology and 2) novel biomarkers for identifying the presence of malignant cells (diagnostic), predicting outcome (prognostic), and predicting response to therapy (predictive). Areas of study include cancers of the lung, breast, and gastrointestinal system. Clinically I specialize in the treatment of lung cancer and applications of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and perform both prospective and retrospective clinical studies.
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Stefan Heller
Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor in the School of Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research focuses on the inner ear, from its earliest manifestation as one of the cranial placodes until it has developed into a mature and functioning organ. We are interested how the sensory epithelia of the inner ear that harbor the sensory hair cells develop, how the cells mature, and how these epithelia respond to toxic insults. The overarching goal of this research is to find was to regenerate lost sensory hair cells in mammals.
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Siddhartha Jaiswal
Assistant Professor of Pathology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe identified a common disorder of aging called clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). CHIP occurs due to certain somatic mutations in blood stem cells and represents a precursor state for blood cancer, but is also associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. We hope to understand more about the biology and clinical implications of CHIP using human and model system studies.
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Kevin Liu
Life Science Research Professional 2, Stem Cell Bio Regenerative Med Institute
BioKevin is interested in using stem cells to derive bladder epithelial progenitors for cell replacement therapy in patients with bladder cancer. In addition, he is interested in the mechanism behind how stem cells differentiate into pure liver cells for liver transplantation and effective drug testing. He is a graduate of the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Master’s Program at the University of Southern California, where he received the prestigious Discovery Scholar distinction. Prior to joining Stanford, his research was on understanding the tropism of circulating tumor cells towards the brain to form brain metastases.
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Kyle Loh
Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology (Stem Cell)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe have developed a strategy to generate fairly pure populations of various human tissue progenitors in a dish from embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We have delineated the sequential lineage steps through which ESCs diversify into various tissues, and in so doing, developed methods to exclusively induce certain fates at the expense of others. The resultant pure populations of tissue progenitors are the fundamental building blocks for regenerative medicine.
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Michael Longaker
Deane P. and Louise Mitchell Professor in the School of Medicine and Professor, by courtesy, of Materials Science and Engineering
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe have six main areas of current interest: 1) Cranial Suture Developmental Biology, 2) Distraction Osteogenesis, 3) Fibroblast heterogeneity and fibrosis repair, 4) Scarless Fetal Wound Healing, 5) Skeletal Stem Cells, 6) Novel Gene and Stem Cell Therapeutic Approaches.
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Ravindra Majeti MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine (Hematology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Majeti lab focuses on the molecular/genomic characterization and therapeutic targeting of leukemia stem cells in human hematologic malignancies, particularly acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Our lab uses experimental hematology methods, stem cell assays, genome editing, and bioinformatics to define and investigate drivers of leukemia stem cell behavior. As part of these studies, we have led the development and application of robust xenotransplantation assays for human hematopoietic cells.
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Michelle Monje
Associate Professor of Neurology and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery, of Pediatrics, of Pathology and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Monje Lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms of postnatal neurodevelopment. This includes microenvironmental influences on neural precursor cell fate choice in normal neurodevelopment and in disease states.
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Hiromitsu (Hiro) Nakauchi
Professor of Genetics (Stem Cell)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsTranslation of discoveries in basic research into practical medical applications
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Gernot Neumayer
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy MSc project, carried out at the University of Salzburg in cooperation with the biotechnology company ProComCure, investigated the molecular interface between human cells and the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus exhibits a dramatic increase in resistance to antibiotics, thereby causing enormous challenges for health care. Using proteomics platforms, I identified numerous novel host-pathogen interactions. These findings are being developed further by ProComCure in order to design innovative therapies for S. aureus infections.
My dissertation project, carried out at the University of Calgary, defined the functions of the human protein TPX2. TPX2 has been discovered over 17 years ago for its unique property to mediate cell division. However, when not involved in cell division TPX2 resides in the cell nucleus where its role had remained unknown. Building on my background in proteomics, I discovered a novel TPX2-containing protein complex that resides in the nucleus. Analysis of this complex unraveled a completely unexpected role for TPX2 in cellular reactions triggered by insults to DNA. To avoid cancers, cells respond to damaged DNA by either attempting its repair or, if this is not possible, by committing 'suicide'. My findings established that TPX2 impacts the molecular mechanisms that underlie these responses to DNA damage. More specifically, I found that TPX2 accumulates at DNA lesions and that the cellular levels of TPX2 negatively correlate with the ‘strength’ of the DNA damage response. Thus, TPX2 affects cellular proliferation, DNA repair, and survival upon genomic insult. This was the first function discovered for TPX2 in the cell nucleus. Since abnormally high levels of TPX2 are often found in human cancers, my discovery sheds light on the mechanistic implication of this protein in carcinogenesis. Furthermore, TPX2 is also a promising therapeutic target and my findings may advance novel cancer therapies. We propose that future treatments may attempt to reduce TPX2 levels in order to increase the strength of the DNA damage response. Subsequently, chemo- and radiotherapy doses may be lowered but still stay effective.
In 2014, I joined the Wernig laboratory at Stanford University. Here, I capitalize on my expertise in mechanisms of DNA damage response to develop a pioneering technique capable of repairing pathogenic mutations in the genetic material of patients suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa (a devastating and often lethal disease that causes chronic erosion of the skin). This novel technique, called CRISPR, introduces experimentally controlled and transient damage to the mutated DNA of patient cells and exploits naturally occurring DNA repair mechanisms to transform the disease-causing mutation to a normal state. I will combine development of CRISPR with Dr. Wernig’s expertise in regenerative medicine to generate patient derived stem cells with repaired (i.e. normal) genes. Subsequently, these stem cells will be employed to regenerate the skin of Epidermolysis Bullosa patients. -
Aaron Newman
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Data Science
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur group develops computational strategies to study the phenotypic diversity, differentiation hierarchies, and clinical significance of tumor cell subsets. Key results are further explored experimentally, both in our lab and through collaboration, with the ultimate goal of translating promising findings into the clinic.
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Roeland Nusse
Virginia and Daniel K. Ludwig Professor in Cancer Research and the Reed-Hodgson Professor in Human Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory studies Wnt signaling in development and disease. We found recently that Wnt proteins are unusual growth factors, because they are lipid-modified. We discovered that Wnt proteins promote the proliferation of stem cells of various origins. Current work is directed at understanding the function of the lipid on the Wnt, using Wnt proteins as factors the expand stem cells and on understanding Wnt signaling during repair and regeneration after tissue injury.
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Anthony Oro, MD, PhD
Eugene and Gloria Bauer Professor
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab uses the skin to answer questions about epithelial stem cell biology, differentiation and carcinogenesis using genomics, genetics, and cell biological techniques. We have studied how hedgehog signaling regulates regeneration and skin cancer, and how tumors evolve to develop resistance. We study the mechanisms of early human skin development using human embryonic stem cells. These fundamentals studies provide a greater understanding of epithelial biology and novel disease therapeutics.
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Theo Palmer
Professor of Neurosurgery
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMembers of the Palmer Lab study the biology of neural stem cells in brain development and in the adult. Our primary goal is to understand how genes and environment synergize in influencing stem cell behavior during development and how mild genetic or environmental risk factors for disease may synergize in their detrimental effects on brain development or in the risk of neuronal loss in age-related degenerative disease.
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Matthew Porteus
Professor of Pediatrics (Stem Cell Transplantation)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsGenome Editing and Population Dynamics for Gene Therapy and Cancer Research
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Zhen Qi
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe majority of cancer deaths are actually due to spread of the disease to other organs. My research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of cancer metastasis.
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Kristy Red-Horse
Associate Professor of Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsCardiovascular developmental biology
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Maria Grazia Roncarolo
George D. Smith Professor in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine and Professor of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch Interests
Immunetolerance: Mechanisms underlying T-cell tolerance, induction of T-cell anergy and regulatory T cells; Immunomodulation: mAbs, proteins and low molecular weight compounds which can modulate T-cell activation; Primary immunodeficiencies: Characterization of molecular and immunological defects; Gene therapy: Gene transduction of hematopoietic cells for gene therapy in primary immunodeficiencies and metabolic diseases; Hematopoiesis: Mechanisms underlying growth and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells; Transplantation: Immune reconstitution and T-cell tolerance after allogenic stem cell transplantation; Cytokines/Cytokine receptors: Role in regulation of immune and inflammatory responses
Clinical Interests
Primary Immunodeficiencies
Monogenic Autoimmune Disorders
Allogenic Bone Marrow Transplantation
Gene Therapy Clinical Trials
Cell Therapy Clinical Trials
Clinical Trials in Autoimmune Diseases and Organ Transplantation
Clinical Trials in Hemoglobinopathies -
Vittorio Sebastiano
Assistant Professor (Research) of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Reproductive and Stem Cell Biology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe thread of Ariadne that connects germ cells, preimplatation development and pluripotent stem cells is the focus of my research, with a specific interest in human development. My long-term goals are: 1. Understanding the biology of germ cells and and their ability to sustain early preimplantation development; 2. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate very early cell fate decisions in human embryos; 3. Understanding the biology of derivation and maintenance of Pluripotent Stem Cells
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Judith Shizuru
Professor of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation) and of Pediatrics (Stem Cell Transplantation)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsTransplantation of defined populations of allogeneic hematopoietic cells. Specifically, the way in which hematopoietic cell grafts alter antigen specific immune responses to allo-, auto- and viral antigens. The cellular and molecular basis of resistance to engraftment of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells.
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Michal Tal
Instructor, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsInvestigating how the CD47-SIRPa axis modulates multiple facets of immunity
