Precise generation of desired human cell-types from embryonic stem cells

My research program focuses on building the technology to generate diverse human cell-types for application in regenerative medicine and drug toxicology testing. While embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have the potential to generate thousands of distinct human cell-types, this vast array of lineage choices has made it difficult to efficiently differentiate ESCs towards any single desired fate. To more accurately guide ESC differentiation, we have delineated comprehensive roadmaps that describe how ESCs are diversified into a wide variety of endodermal and mesodermal cell-types. These roadmaps have enabled the successful generation of human liver cells and bone progenitors that can engraft in mouse models and respectively regenerate human liver tissue or bones in vivo; as such these ESC-derived tissue progenitors serve as potential sources of human cells for regenerative medicine or drug toxicology testing