STEPHEN DALTON, Ph.D.
Professor, GRA Eminent Scholar and Chair in Molecular Cell Biology, University of Georgia
EDUCATION
1981-1983 BSc (Biochemistry and Cell Biology): Flinders University of South Australia
1984 BSc Honors, First Class: Flinders University School of Medicine
1985-1988 Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology): University of Adelaide,
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1992-1996 Assistant Member, Roche Institute of Molecular Biology
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia
University
1996-2003 Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide, South Australia
2002-2003 Scientific Director, Luminis-BresaGen Cell Therapy Program,
2003-present Professor
GRA Eminent Scholar and Chair in Molecular Cell Biology, University of Georgia
2012-present Director, Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia
Title: Using pluripotent stem cells to model development and disease
Abstract:
The epicardium plays critical roles in cardiac development, homeostasis and potentially in repair following mechanical and ischemic injury. In this talk, I describe the highly efficient differentiation of human pluripotent cells (hPSCs) into Wt1+ epicardium. At the molecular level, hPSC-derived epicardium (EpiCs) are indistinguishable from their in vivo counterparts and like authentic epicardium, are derived from Isl1+ Nkx2.5+ splanchnic mesoderm progenitors that also have cardiomyocyte differentiation capacity. hPSC-derived EpiCs respond to signaling molecules known to impact on epicardium cell fate decisions in vivo as shown by their differentiation into smooth muscle cells or fibroblasts in response to PDGFβ and PDGFα, respectively. When transplanted into chick embryos, EpiCs incorporate into the host epicardium, invade the underlying myocardium and differentiate into myofibroblasts and smooth muscle cells that assemble into coronary vessels. These findings have significant implications for our understanding of human cardiovascular development and for the generation of cell therapies and drug discovery.
Venue: Room143, New Biology Building, THU
Time: June 6 (Thu), 2013; 14:00
Host: Prof. Qin Shen
