Research

SCIENTIFIC GOALS and PROGRAM

The mission of the Duke Stem Cell Research Program is to advance our understand of the basic science of stem cells and to promote their application in the clinic to help save lives and reduce suffering. At the level of basic research we are using both embryonic and adult stem cells and a variety of model organisms, including mice, flies, and fish.  The goal is to understand the rules that govern how stem cells grow and multiply and how they differentiate into many different specialized cell types.  We are also studying the environment or “niche” in which stem cells reside in adult organs and tissues, and how signals from the body normally control stem cell behavior. At the more applied level, we are exploring ways in which both adult and embryonic stem cells can be used therapeutically and how they can be integrated into damaged or diseased tissues to promote regeneration and repair. Finally, we strive to increase our understanding of cancer stem cells and to use this information to explore new anti-cancer therapies.

Currently, our research interests fall in several general categories, with considerable overlap between them.

• Bone Marrow and hematopoietic stem cells
• Mesenchymal stem cells, including cardiac stem cells and heart regeneration
• Neural stem cells
• Liver and Gastrointestinal Stem Cells
• Skin Stem Cells: melanocyte stem cells in melanoma
• Embryonic stem cells, germ cells and germ - somatic cell interactions
• Stem Cells and Genomics
• Stem Cells in relation to Tissue Engineering
• Stem Cells and Cancer

Monthly interactive research meeting

This is held on the third Friday of every month in Room 143 Jones building from 12noon –1pm. The goal is to foster interactions among people working with, or interested in, stem cells and to exchange new research data and ideas.  It is open to everyone, at all levels.

Graduate Stem Cell Biology course

For the past three years Tannistha Reya, Haifan Lin and Brigid Hogan have organized a graduate class in the spring semester entitled Stem Cell Biology (CBI/MCB 208). The class involves a mixture of didactic lectures and discussion of primary research papers. Topics range from basic biology of stem cells and embryonic development through to discussions of the ethics of stem cell research.

Seminar series

The 2009 speakers are:

January 16--Ron McKay
February 27--Craig Jordan
March 17--George Cotsarelis
April 24--Konrad Hochedlinger
May 22--Magdalena Gotz

Funding for Research Projects

We would like to congratulate the 2009 Duke Stem Cell Innovation Award recipients.

• Nenad Bursac, Department of Biomedical Engineering
  "Stem Cell-Derived Cardiac Progenitor Patch for the Treatment of Myocardial
  Infarction"
   
• Terry Lechler, Department of Cell Biology
  "Morphogenesis of the Intestinal Stem Cell Niche"
   

We would like to thank all of you who submitted applications for our Stem Cell Innovation Award this year.