Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Showing 1-50 of 137 Results
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Ash A. Alizadeh, MD/PhD
Moghadam Family Professor
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, I aim 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 ten years has centered on pluripotent stem cells (PSCs, which include embryonic and pluripotent stem cells), which can generate any of the hundreds of diverse cell types in the body. However, it has been notoriously challenging 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 various 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 and bone (Loh & Chen et al., 2016; Cell) and liver (Loh & Ang et al., 2014; Cell Stem Cell) from PSCs. My laboratory currently focuses on differentiating human PSCs into liver progenitors (Ang et al., 2018; Cell Reports) and blood vessel cells (Ang et al., 2022; Cell).
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. I then moved my laboratory to Stanford University as a Siebel Investigator and Instructor at the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine. My laboratory has been supported by the Siebel Investigatorship, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and other sources. -
Chiara Anselmi
Postdoctoral Scholar, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
BioMy expertise is in the areas of regeneration, evolution, the nervous system and cell biology. I use a marine colonial tunicate, Botryllus schlosseri, characterized by having robust regenerative capabilities and an assayable and frequent (weekly) CNS (Central nervous system) tissue regeneration and loss throughout adult life. I believe that comparative studies on a simple chordate can help us elucidate the principal mechanisms that are the foundation of regeneration and aging.
I use a multidisciplinary methodology that integrates advanced single cell RNAseq, imaging, multi-parameter flow cytometric isolation of cellular populations and transplantation assays to elucidate the cellular and genetic changes associated with neuronal degeneration process in young and old colonies. -
Philip Beachy
The Ernest and Amelia Gallo Professor, 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
Instructor, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy goal is to generate universally transplantable human organs in research animals.
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Michael F. Clarke, M.D.
Karel H. and Avice N. Beekhuis Professor of 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, MD, PhD
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 Almeida Pereira
Instructor, Institute for 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
Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsBasic and translational research in lung stem cell biology, cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, and acute lung injury/ARDS. Upper airway stem cell CRISPR gene correction followed by autologous stem cell transplantation to treat Cystic fibrosis. Using lung organoids and precision cut lung slice cultures of mouse and human lungs to study molecular regulation of lung stem cells. Using transgenic mice to visualize Wnt protein transmission from niche cell to stem cell in vivo.
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Maximilian Diehn, MD, PhD
Jack, Lulu, and Sam Willson Professor and 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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Francisco Galdos
MD Student, expected graduation Spring 2024
Ph.D. Student in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, admitted Summer 2017
MSTP StudentBioMy journey to pursue the physician-scientist track stems from an early fascination with biology and my family’s eight-year struggle to save my younger brother’s life. My brother was born with a complex congenital heart defect known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). In 2003, my brother received a heart transplant, but despite this, he passed away in 2004. Growing up, I strived to find an explanation for my brother’s congenital heart defect and became interested in medicine at a young age. Looking to pursue this goal, I attended the Michael DeBakey High School for Health Professions, a top pre-health and science public school, and in 2011 I was accepted to Harvard University where I pursued a major in the department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology. During my college years I took classes in developmental and stem cell biology where I became interested in the use of these fields to understand congenital defects. I began my research career in Drs. Caroline and Geoffrey Burn’s lab studying the development of the great vessels of the heart in zebrafish, Throughout my time at Harvard, I was awarded numerous fellowships that supported my undergraduate research, including the prestigious Amgen Scholars Fellowship that supported summer research in Dr. Michael Longaker’s lab at Stanford University. I pursued my undergraduate honors thesis in Dr. Richard Lee’s laboratory where I identified the role of Apolipoprotein E as a factor necessary for maintaining mature beta cell gene expression. These experiences culminated in my decision to apply to the physician-scientist program at Stanford University where I am currently training to pursue a career in academic medicine with the ultimate goal of practicing as a pediatric cardiologist and a university professor with an active laboratory. Currently, I am a graduate student in Dr. Sean Wu’s laboratory where I study the development of ventricular development in the heart using both bioinformatic approaches such as scRNA-seq and human induced pluripotent stem cells to study the development of the left and right ventricles. Through my work, I aim to understand the mechanisms that give rise to single ventricle congenital heart defects with the hope of making a difference in the lives of children born with these diseases.
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Heather Gentner
Director of Finance and Administration (SoM), Stem Cell Bio Regenerative Med Institute
Current Role at StanfordI am the Director of Finance and Administration for the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (ISCBRM) in the School of Medicine. I oversee and carry out administrative and financial related functions for the department.
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Natalia Gomez-Ospina
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Genetics) and of Pediatrics (Stem Cell Transplantation)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Gomez-Ospina is a physician scientist and medical geneticist with a strong interest in the diagnosis and management of genetic diseases.
1) Lysosomal storage diseases:
Her research program is on developing better therapies for a large class of neurodegenerative diseases in children known as lysosomal storage disorders. Her current focus is on developing genome editing of hematopoietic stem cells as a therapeutic approach for these diseases beginning with Mucopolysaccharidosis type 1 and Gaucher disease. She established a genetic approach where therapeutic proteins can be targeted to a single well-characterized place in the genome known as a safe harbor. This approach constitutes a flexible, “one size fits all” approach that is independent of specific genes and mutations. This strategy, in which the hematopoietic system is commandeered to express and deliver therapeutic proteins to the brain can potentially change the current approaches to treating childhood neurodegenerative diseases and pave the way for alternative therapies for adult neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
2) Point of care ammonia testing
She also works in collaboration with other researchers at Stanford to develop point-of-care testing for serum ammonia levels. Such device will greatly improve the quality of life of children and families with metabolic disorders with hyperammonemia.
3) Gene discovery
Dr Gomez-Ospina lead a multi-institutional collaboration resulting in the discovery of a novel genetic cause of neonatal and infantile cholestatic liver disease. She collaborated in the description of two novel neurologic syndromes caused by mutations in DYRK1 and CHD4.
For more information go to our website:
https://www.gomezospina.com/ -
Tal Gordon
Postdoctoral Scholar, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
BioI am a zoologist and molecular biologist interested in the molecular basis of regeneration. My research focuses on stem cells and regeneration in ascidians, a group of marine invertebrates that represent the closest living relatives of the vertebrates. One of the main questions that motivate my research is whether regeneration capabilities lost during evolution can, at least to some extent, be re-acquired. As regeneration is not universal in the animal kingdom, I hypothesize that comparing regeneration in species with distinct regenerative capacities will lead to the discovery of key components of regeneration.
During my postdoc I intend to use comparative genomics to identify conserved cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie ascidians’ regeneration. -
Stefan Heller
Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor in the School of Medicine and Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS)
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 in 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 ways to regenerate lost sensory hair cells in mammals.
