Rethinking Developmental Biology With Cellular Reprogramming
In this on-demand webinar, Prof. Marius Wernig, Stanford University and Dr Mark Kotter, bit.bio offer an expert discussion on the history and evolution of cell reprogramming, discussing the technologies that now make it possible to generate any human cell from a stem cell. They cover the initial approaches that paved the way for the astounding discovery of direct conversion from one cell identity to another and how precision cell reprogramming is impacting research, drug discovery and cell therapy.
Prof. Wernig covers his pioneering work on cellular reprogramming, which challenges the traditional paradigm of developmental biology. His group first discovered the ability of transcription factors to induce neural cells across lineage boundaries, suggesting that cell reprogramming might be a generalisable approach. This new model of cellular identity lays the foundation for an alternative approach to converting human pluripotent stem cells to somatic cell types.
Dr Kotter discusses how hiPSCs resist such cell-type conversions and how these can be overcome. This insight enabled the translation of cellular reprogramming into a new, highly controlled and precise manufacturing approach for human cells. He further discusses how bit.bio’s discovery platform extends this approach to potentially all human cell types.
Learning outcomes:
- Discover the foundational research that led to the origin of cell reprogramming
- Learn about the discovery of key transcription factors that define neural cell identity and how neurons can be induced, mature and maintain their identity.
- Gain insights into the current advancements in cellular reprogramming that are being powered by the latest synthetic biology toolkits
- Understand how these technologies will impact and influence the future of human cell biology, drug discovery and clinical translation