Embryonic Stem Cell Laboratory
Research in this laboratory is also related to Cancer, cell biology & development.
Head of laboratory:
The availability of in vitro cell differentiation systems that mimic formation of cell lineages during embryogenesis provides enormous experimental advantages. It is possible to identify molecules, signaling pathways and other molecular mechanisms of action, that contribute to "stemness" and that direct the differentiation of stem cells to specific cell fates.
The research in this lab is two-fold:
- To understand the molecular mechanisms of normal and abnormal mammalian development using in vitro models of embryogenesis.
- To use this information to direct the differentiation of stem cells in culture to specific cell types that can be used in the treatment of human disease.
The key features of our in vitro models of embryogenesis include:
- The capacity to examine pluripotence, directed differentiation and tissue patterning at the molecular level.
- The ability to "map" the interrelated processes of cell signalling that control development, and manipulate those processes by chemical means.
- The development of tissue-culture protocols for the production of pure or highly enriched cell types, which can be tested in animal models of disease.
Current projects:
- Molecular mechanisms of the maintenance and loss of pluripotence.
- Cell signalling and the production of neurectoderm from embryonic stem cells.
Our location:
Human Reproduction Unit, DM-IVF-1
Royal North Shore Hospital
St Leonards 2065
