Printer-friendly version
Send to friendCo-hosted by the U-M Center for Stem Cell Biology
Mary Sue and Kenneth Coleman Life Sciences Lecture: "Control of stem cells"
Stuart H. Orkin, M.D.
David G. Nathan Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Chair, Department of Pediatric Oncology
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Dr. Stuart Orkin's research focuses on stem cell biology, particularly the development and function of the blood system, the relationship between cancer and stem cells, and the mechanisms responsible for self-renewal of stem cells. His laboratory studies gene regulation as it pertains to the properties and development of stem cells. His efforts are directed toward understanding the nature and function of genes that control the self-renewal and differentiation processes and how disturbances in gene networks may lead to cancer. In addition to studying adult stem cells or progenitors for the blood system and the heart, his laboratory has investigated the nuclear factors that control self-renewal of mouse embryonic stem cells. One goal is to identify basic mechanisms that are employed by different types of stem cells, and perhaps reveal molecular pathways shared among stem cells. Dr. Orkin is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
"Engagement of a stem cell niche"
David T. Scadden, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Harvard University
Co-director, Harvard Stem Cell Institute
Director, Center for Regenerative Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Scadden’s lab studies how stem cells are regulated, develop rational methods for manipulating them, and apply stem cell therapies to regenerate immunity in cancer and AIDS. He is particularly interested in the regulation of entry and exit from the cell cycle, as this has important implications for expansion of stem cells and gene transduction. He is also interested in the regulation of stem cell localization to and within specific microenvironments and the interactions of stem cells with elements of the microenvironmental niche. These studies are critically important in understanding how stem cells develop and how they may function in regenerative processes in many organs.
He has received many honors, including elected membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.
“Controls of germline stem cells in C. elegans”
Judith Kimble, Ph.D.
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Vilas Professor, Department of Biochemistry
University of Wisconsin
Judith Kimble studies controls of growth, patterning, and morphogenesis during animal development. Her work focuses on the regulation of germline stem cells and organ polarity. Using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, her lab has uncovered genes, proteins, and pathways fundamental to the development of all animals, including humans. Kimble is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciencesm American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosopical Society among other honors and awards.
"Maintenance and renewal of blood and muscle stem cells"
Amy Wagers, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Investigator in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Joslin Diabetes Center
Harvard Stem Cell Institute
The broad interest of the Wagers Lab is to identify and characterize tissue-specific stem cell populations in adult animals. The work focuses on understanding the factors controlling the migration and expansion of hematopoietic stem cells in mice, as well as developing methods for the isolation and manipulation of stem and progenitor cell populations in skeletal muscle. Among other honors, she is a recipient of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award in Biomedical Sciences and the Smith Family New Investigator Award.
"Stem cells in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea"
Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D.
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy
University of Utah School of Medicine
Regeneration is a fundamental attribute of all living things, whether it be simple tissue restoration or the complete replacement of lost body parts such as limbs, tails, or even heads. The goal of the Sáánchez Alvarado lab is to identify and characterize the molecular and cellular components underpinning regeneration using the freshwater flatworm (an organism called Schmid tea mediterranea, or planaria). The Sánchez Alvarado’s lab has developed the molecular tools needed to reveal how regeneration works in this flatworm. By identifying and characterizing regeneration at the molecular and cellular level, he hopes to gain a better understanding of how higher organisms, including humans, develop biologically. Among other honors, he has won the Marcus Singer Award and an Albert J. Ryan Fellowship Award.
“The Use of Embryonic Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine”
Robert Lanza, M.D.
Vice President of Research & Scientific Development, Advanced Cell Technology
Adjunct Professor, Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Dr. Lanza's current area of research focuses on the use of stem cells and regenerative medicine including nuclear transfer and stem cells in human transplantation. His recent published work describes the rescued visual function in animals using retinal pigment epithelial cells derived from human embryonic stem cells and a method for deriving stem cells using a single-cell approach that does not harm embryos. Among many other awards and honors, Dr. Lanza is a former Fulbright Scholar and has been nominated for a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship award.
