Melissa Kinney, Ph.D.*
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Boston Children’s Hospital
Harvard Medical School

Toward a Systems-Level Understanding of Stem Cell Fate

ABSTRACT

Stem cell-derived organoids promise broad translational potential for applications ranging from drug screening to transplantation and regeneration. These complex, and often functional, tissue-like structures arise largely from endogenous patterning and morphogenesis of pluripotent stem cells within three-dimensional spheroids. Our research efforts aim to control and perturb these processes through a quantitative understanding of stem cell fate dynamics and engineering of the biophysical spheroid microenvironment. This seminar will present insights into the integration of extrinsic stimuli, cell intrinsic cues and signaling mechanisms, raising questions on how to establish design parameters and judiciously perturb these complex stem cell systems.

Host:  Melissa Kemp