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Gastrointestinal and Skin
The program focuses on three major research areas:
- Identify and isolate human epithelial stem cells from the skin, lung,
colon or other tissues such as the cornea, for tissue regeneration and
transplantation in human patients with chronic diseases of these epithelial
tissues. We also identify and isolate factors that induce differentiation
of human embryonic stem cells into epidermis or other epithelial cell
types.
- Develop stem cell therapies for severe congenital diseases of epithelial
tissues such as Epidermolysis Bullosa, Xeroderma Pigmentosum, and Basal
Cell Naevus Syndrome. Part of this program will focus on gene therapy-based
approaches for correction of congenital defects in skin stem cells,
for transplantation into patients with these diseases.
- Determine the potential of transplanted stem cells to become transformed,
giving rise to malignancies in transplant recipients. Work at UCSF has
highlighted the role of the cell of origin (stem cell or differentiated
cell) in determining the malignant potential of tumors. Elucidation
of the mechanisms by which stem cells can be induced to differentiate
into specific lineages will be relevant to both stem cell therapy and
cancer cell therapy.
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