Haematopoietic Stem Cells From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: The Future Of Bone Marrow Transplantation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,845.00
Summary
Blood stem cell transplantation is a vital therapy for patients with leukaemia following chemotherapy or for patients with bone marrow failure. Because many patients lack a donor, there is a need for an alternate source of stem cells. My laboratory will make blood stem cells from human pluripotent stem cells that will treat patients needing a transplant and will be a useful research tool to help us to understand what goes wrong in the blood system in a range of illnesses.
NHMRC Research Fellowship. Genetic Modification And Differentiation Of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: Creating Tools For Regenerative Medicine And Models For Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$757,297.00
Summary
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can form all the cell types in the body. Cells made from hESCs could be used to test new drugs prior to trials in patients and eventually to replace tissues damaged through accident or disease. My laboratory is turning hESCs into blood, heart and insulin producing cells. We can genetically modify such that the cells fluoresce whenever they develop into these cell types. These 'glowing' hESC lines help us to make different cell types more efficiently.
Does Nuclear Reprogramming Of Granulocytes Induce Reversal Of The Hematopoiesis Pathway.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$461,805.00
Summary
Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells has enormous therapeutic potential. However, it is unclear whether de-differentiation to pluripotency proceeds via a reversion of the same developmental pathway that gave rise to the cell type being reprogrammed. To answer this we will dissect the reprogramming process within the well defined hematopoietic system and assess the generation of hematopoietic precursor-like cells during reprogramming.
Regionalisation And Differentiation Of EPL-derived Neurectoderm: Directed Formation Of Dopaminergic Neurons In Vitro.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,500.00
Summary
Neurodegenerative diseases result from the loss, damage or dysfunction of neural populations. For example, dopaminergic neurons are lost progressively in Parkinson's Disease. A potential method of treatment is 'cell therapy' which envisages transplantation of cells back to the site of cell loss, and restoration of function. Application of the cell therapy approach is limited by the unavailability of cells for transplantation. Embryonic stem (ES) cells provide a potential solution to this problem ....Neurodegenerative diseases result from the loss, damage or dysfunction of neural populations. For example, dopaminergic neurons are lost progressively in Parkinson's Disease. A potential method of treatment is 'cell therapy' which envisages transplantation of cells back to the site of cell loss, and restoration of function. Application of the cell therapy approach is limited by the unavailability of cells for transplantation. Embryonic stem (ES) cells provide a potential solution to this problem because they can be grown in unlimited numbers and differentiated to any kind of cell that is found in the embryo or adult. In this application we propose to continue our work on controlling the differentiation of ES cells to neural lineages. Production of dopaminergic neurons will be a particular focus. We will establish conditions that enable the production of these cells in a manner that is therapeutically relevant and predicted to be acceptable to regulatory authorities. Cells will be tested by transplantation into adult rats to assess their therapeutic potential, in particular persistence, integration and differentiation within the brain environment. Research required to achieve the production of transplantable cells will also provide basic information about the mechanisms by which the mammalian embryo allocates cells, specifically cells of the nervous system, to specific lineages during embryogenesis. This information will be important for the production of other neural cell types, which have therapeutic potential for treatment of diseases like stroke, motor neuron disease and spinal cord injury.Read moreRead less
Generation Of Embryonic Stem Cell-like Cells By Reprogramming Somatic Cell Nuclei
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$69,936.00
Summary
Human embryonic stem (ES) cells possess considerable potential in treating numerous human diseases. However, ethical concerns surround the isolation of embryonic stem cells from human embryos. Therefore, this proposal aims to develop a reliable method of deriving human ES-like cells from normal adult cells (eg. skin cells). For example, preliminary results suggest ES cells can impart their 'stemness' onto adult cells when the two cells are fused together.
Hematopoietic Transplants From Autologous Pluripotent Cell Sources
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Summary
This proposal investigates the utility of two types of patient-derived stem cells for transplantation into blood. These are induced pluripotent stem cells that are reprogrammed from specialized tissues such as skin cells, and stem cells derived using the genetic material of oocytes or sperm only ( one-parent embryos). Using the mouse, we are looking at the ability of these cells to form normal blood lineages after transplantation, and to repair blood in a mouse model for beta-thalassemia.
Transcriptional Regulation Of Hematopoietic Commitment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$289,985.00
Summary
Blood cell formation is a tightly regulated process and provides an important model for our understanding of blood homeostasis. Perturbations result in a number of disorders such as leukaemia. The application of stem cells to many diseases is being pursued; yet, to be successful knowledge of normal cellular behavior is crucial. I aim to improve our understanding of these processes and help to provide the framework for future studies aimed at more directly manipulating blood cell functions.
Generating Haematopoietic Stem Cells From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$872,215.00
Summary
Blood stem cell transplantation is a vital therapy for patients with leukaemia following chemotherapy or for patients with bone marrow failure. Because many patients lack a donor, there is a need for an alternate source of stem cells. Using a new approach that we have developed, our laboratories will make blood stem cells from human pluripotent stem cells that will treat patients needing a transplant.