Scientists at NCCS are studying the early embryonic development using embryonic stem cells derived from the blastula stage embryo. These embryonic stem cells possess unique characteristics of indefinite self renewal and pluripotency; and are capable of precisely recapitulating the early embryogenic development, thereby serving as an elegant model for studying the developmental events occurring during embryogenesis.
Potential applications of this research are in exploring biological activities in cell commitment and differentiation; maintenance and control of differentiation of embryonic stem cells into various cell types; and developing stem cells and gene therapies for fetal anomalies.
References:
- Exploiting the power of LINE-1 retrotransposon mutagenesis for identification of genes involved in embryonic stem cell differentiation. Stem Cell Rev. 2014 Jun; 10(3): 408-416 (Article).
- Temporal and Contextual Orchestration of Cardiac Fate by WNT-BMP Synergy and Threshold, J Cell Mol Med, 2010 Aug; 14(8): 2094–2108 (Article).
- Notch Exhibits Ligand bias and Maneuvers Stage Specific Steering of Neural Differentiation in ESCs, Cell. Biol. 2010 Apr; 30(8):1946-1957 (Article).
- Enhancement of Vertebrate Cardiogenesis by a Lectin from Perivitelline Fluid of Horseshoe Crab Embryo, Mol. Life Sci. 2008 Oct; 65(20): 3312-3324 (Article).
- Neural induction from ES cells portrays default commitment but instructive maturation, PloS One 2007 Dec 19;2(12):e1349 (Article).
Technology Readiness Level: TRL B1
Technology Status: Proprietary Know-how
Technology Availability: Know-how available for co-development and for conducting sponsored research