Stem Cells and Disease

Researchers Related to Stem Cells and Disease

Researchers at the Gates Center are studying stem cells to see their relationship to tissue formation and disease. Susan Majka, PhD is studying the role that stem cells play in lung disease and the regeneration of damaged lung tissue. Brad Olwin PhD research has shown that stem cells transplanted into mice whose muscles’ have been injured, permanently changed the cells making them resistant to the aging process in muscle. These findings could help reduce muscle loss in patients with muscular dystrophy or the elderly. Dwight Klemm, PhD, is studying how bone marrow stem cells create new fat cells. These fat cells make other cells in the body less responsive to insulin, which can lead to type 2 Diabetes.

For more inforamation regarding the Center's Stem Cells and Disease program, please refer to the list of researchers below.

	Researcher	Description
	Balasubramaniam, Vivek	Stem Cells and Disease & Stem Cell Biology Links We are studying the role of local and bone marrow derived progenitor cells during lung development and in the repair of the neonatal lung after injury.
	Box, Neil	Stem Cell and Cancer Links We are presently studying the role of key oncogenic and tumor suppressor pathways, particularly p53, in melanoma progression and metastatic conversion through their effects on stem-like properties of melanoma cells. Stem Cells and Disease My group has an interest in understanding the skin pigmentary system and the potential role of melanocyte stem cells in hyperpigmentation and in pigmentation diseases such as vitiligo or premature graying where melanocyte loss is observed. We are focused on finding effective therapies for these conditions.
	Burnham, Ellen	Stem Cells and Disease Links We are looking at the role of endothelial progenitors in critical illnesses, specifically acute lung injury and sepsis.
	De Langhe, Stijn	Stem Cells and Disease Links We study the development, regulation and function of lung stem cell niches in homeostasis and repair after injury.
	DeGregori, James	Stem Cells and Disease Links We study how competitive dynamics in stem and progenitor cell compartments influence whether initiating oncogenic events lead to clonal expansion and cancer.
	Dow, Steven	Stem Cells and Disease Links We are researching the use of mesenchymal stem cells for immune modulation of airway inflammation in asthma, using mouse models and the use of mesenchymal stem cells for suppression of inflammation in chronic kidney disease, using cat spontaneous chronic kidney disease model. We are looking at vaccination against cancer stem cells as a new approach to cancer immunotherapy.
	Freed, Curt	Stem Cells and Disease & Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Links The goal of my laboratory is to convert human embryonic stem cells to dopamine neurons for implantation into patients with Parkinson's disease.
	Hiatt, William	Stem Cell Disease Links William R. Hiatt, MD, is currently the Novartis Foundation endowed professor for cardiovascular research in the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is the president of CPC Clinical Research which is a university-affiliated, non-profit Academic Research Organization (ARO). Dr. Hiatt’s academic career has focused on the clinical, educational, and research issues in peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular medicine.
	Janssen, William	Stem Cells and Disease Links I am interested in endothelial progenitor cell function in lung disease, including COPD and ARDS.
	King, Karen	Stem Cells and Disease Links My ongoing research includes the measurement of the biological, biochemical, and biomechanical effects of in vivo mechanical load on articular joints, the effects of diabetes on bone and cartilage, and tissue engineering studies for the development of bone and cartilage grafts.
	Klemm, Dwight	Stem Cells and Disease & Stem Cell Biology Links My laboratory is interested in the contribution of bone marrow-derived stem cells to the adipocyte population of the major adipose depots.
	Koch, Peter J.	Stem Cell and Cancer Links My group is investigating the role of cell adhesion molecules and cell adhesion molecule-mediated signaling in cancer stem cells. Our main focus is non-melanoma skin cancer. Stem Cell and Disease Links My laboratory utilizes stem cell technology to investigate the disease mechanisms of inherited skin disorders, such as blistering skin diseases, and to develop therapeutic strategies to correct disease-causing mutations in patient cells. Stem Cell Biology Links Our team is developing experimental strategies to generate patient-derived stem cells (induced pluripotent stem cells; iPSC) for basic and clinical research.
	Koster, Maranke	Stem Cells and Cancer Links My laboratory is interested in the mechanisms by which skin squamous cell carcinomas develop. To study this process, we genetically alter skin stem cells and determine whether this leads to tumor formation. These studies may ultimately lead to the development of novel treatments for patients with skin squamous cell carcinomas. Stem Cells and Disease Patients with ankyloblepharon ectodermal dysplasia and clefting (AEC) exhibit severe skin erosions as well as hair abnormalities. These abnormalities are caused, in part, by defects in epidermal and hair follicle stem cells of these patients. One goal of our laboratory is to further identify these defects and ultimately to design novel treatments for AEC patients. Stem Cells and Biology Links Research in my laboratory is aimed at identifying molecular mechanisms that regulate stem cells of the hair follicle. These stem cells are responsible for generating the entire hair follicle, and ultimately the hair shaft. By investigating how hair follicle stem cells function, we expect to gain insight into abnormalities in hair follicle stem cell function that occur in patients with certain hair disorders.
	Lee, Katherine	Stem Cells and Disease Links We are using human iPS cells to generate sensory neurons that will serve as a model to study the neurotropic virus, varicella-zoster virus.
	McCurdy, Carrie	Stem Cells and Disease Links We our studying the fetal programming of adult metabolic disease; skeletal muscle stem cells and diabetes.
	Meng, Xianzhong	Stem Cells and Disease Links Our lab is interested in exploring the therapeutic potential of bone narrow-derived stem cells in cardiac remodeling following myocardial ischemic injury.
	Nguyen, Vu	Stem Cells and Disease Links We are studying graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which develops following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). A subset of T cells, called regulatory T cells (Treg), can inhibit GVHD, but their global and relatively non-selective capacity to suppress immune responses may compromise tumor and microbial immunity. Using cord blood hematopoietic stem cells, we are investigating human Treg development and migration in order to generate subsets of Treg that have the capacity to traffic into specific tissues to reduce local inflammation. With this strategy, suppression of inflammation in GVHD targets, such as the intestine, liver, and skin, would not abrogate systemic host immunity against deleterious antigens in non-affected organs.
	Payne, Karin	Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Links The goal of the Regenerative Orthopaedics Laboratory is to develop novel stem cell-based therapies for musculoskeletal tissue engineering. The current focus is on the therapeutic potential of bone marrow stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells.
	Refaeli, Yosef	Stem Cells and Cancer Links We have generated matched sets of normal and leukemic hematopoietic stem cells. We are now studying the differences between these two populations with high-throughput screening methods aimed to identify novel therapeutic targets and agents. This is a novel method to understand the differences between blood cancer stem cells and normal blood stem cells. The goal here is to identify novel drug candidates that can specifically target blood cancer stem cells and spare normal blood stem cell populations. Stem Cells and Disease We are developing a universal donor hematopoietic stem cell line for clinical use in conditions that would normally require a bone marrow transplant. Examples of this are cancer, immunodeficiency, autoimmune diseases, acute radiation sickness, among others. This is a program that is focused on the development of a blood stem cell line that can be used for transplantation into humans. The use of a high number of very pure stem cells should also enable us to transplant the cells to any individual who require a transplant, without regard to genetic background and/or matching. Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine We are studying the role of MYC in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation. We are developing novel approaches to improve bone marrow stem cell transplantation, red blood cell production in vitro, and potentially extend our approach to other adult somatic stem cell sources. These programs aim to understand the molecular circuitry of stem cells - how they remain in a stem like condition, and how they choose to differentiate to a particular lineage.
	Roop, Dennis	Stem Cells and Cancer Links My research focuses on understanding the role of cancer stem cells in the maintenance and resistance of skin cancer. Stem Cells and Disease We are developing stem cell therapies for inherited skin blistering diseases. Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Links We are developing stem cell therapies for wound repair.

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