Reducing polyamine levels favors osteogenic differentiation of MSCs

Understanding the origins of hematopoietic stem cells has been a challenge due to the lack of a marker specific to this cell type. Recently, our lab has functionally proven that HoxB5 is a unique marker for long-term HSCs in adult murine models. Whether HoxB5 is also a marker for HSCs in development, has not been studied. Here, we are labeling HoxB5+ cells found in the yolk sac blood islands at E7.5 by using a genetic tool we generated. We will then analyze all marked cells at several time points during development and in adulthood.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow that results from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) populations. The goal of this project is to characterize the mechanisms for the transformation of genetically engineered human primary HSCs to AML. My aim is to validate FLT3-ITD CRISPR-Cas9 reagents to contribute to the sequential editing matrix scheme of the larger project of investigating preleukemic stem cells as therapeutic targets in AML.

Type 1 regulatory T cells (Tr1s) are critical for regulation of autoimmunity and acceptance of hematopoietic stem cell transplants. One major limitation of Tr1 research is the lack of known master regulator, which is a transcription factor that has essential roles in both differentiation and function of the cell type. My research leverages CRISPR-Ca9-induced knockouts and in vitro Tr1 differentiation to find potential Tr1 master regulators.

Understanding Autism Using Patient Derived iPSCs

Optimizing Donor-derived, patient alloantigen-specific type-1 regulatory cells for the Suppression of graft vs. host disease.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as subjects of study can tell us about molecular changes and states associated with pluripotency and stemness, and they are also tremendous tools for drug discovery, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine. Their potential clinical applications are so promising because they offer the potential opportunity to use cells derived from a patient’s own somatic cells to induce differentiation into cells that could be used to regenerate tissues or treat genetic disease with gene-corrected cells without transplant rejection.

Characterizing Hematopoietic Stem Cells of the Liver

Understanding the role of sialylation in MSC survival and behavior

Characterization of Fibroblasts and Their Role in the Tumor Microenvironment: