Jeffrey Karp, PhD - Harvard Stem Cell Institute 

Controlling the Fate of Cells Post Transplantation

Control of cell fate and its extracellular environment is critical for tissue regeneration and cell therapy. This talk will explore methods to enhance the engraftment of systemically infused stem cells through engineering the surface of cells to induce a robust rolling response. This approach is based on leukocytes ability to target tissues via specific interactions with the vascular endothelium. In addition, a novel strategy to engineer cells with an intracellular depot of phenotype altering agent's will be described that can be used for programming cell fate via both intracrine-, paracrine-, and endocrine-like mechanisms. The talk will also examine the potential of cell surface sensors that can be used to detect signals within the cellular nano-environment with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution and should be useful for elucidating niche biology in vivo.


Every semester, the SCEC welcomes a keynote speaker to the Georgia Tech stem cell research community to speak on behalf of their university, institution, industry, or research lab in regards to stem cell engineering. This experience is meant to broaden the stem cell research alliance between local researchers and worldwide experts for the purposes of communicating stem cell advancements across the globe while developing future collaborative opportunities.