HSCI's Junior Faculty Programs have focused on the following areas:
Regulation of Immune Privilege and Autoimmunity (2018- ~2021)
The overall project goal is to identify extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms that regulate stem cells' sensitivity to autoimmunity, with the long-term mission to discover genes or pathways that can be harnessed safely and effectively to protect cells from immune attack in various autoimmune diseases. The team is formed by one stem cell biologist (Ya-Chieh Hsu, PhD, Harvard Unviersity), two immunologists with experience in autoimmunity (Jun Huh, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital) and neuro-immunity (Isaac Chiu, PhD, Harvard Medical School), and one immunologist with expertise in immune suveillance of stem cells and generation of broadly applicable tools for these studies (Judith Agudo, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute).
Tissue Regeneration and Repair (2010-2014)
This program's mission is to understand the intrinsic regenerative potential of tissues injured in human disease and harness this for organ regeneration and repair. A team of physician-‐ and basic-‐scientists with expertise in developmental biology, immunology, genetics, and clinically relevant injury models set out to understand organ failure and repair in disease-‐specific states. Researcher's include: David Breault, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital; Ben Humphreys, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Jay Rajagopal, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital; AkiThe o Kobayashi, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Tom Serwold, PhD, Joslin Diabetes Center; and Yu-Hua Tseng, PhD, Joslin Diabetes Center.
Regenerative Therapeutics (2010-2014)
This program's mission is to identify signaling pathways critical to the growth and repair of multiple organs and translate these findings into small molecule (drug)-based therapies to enhance organ regeneration. This program involves Fernando Camargo, PhD, Boston Children's Hospital; Wolfram Goessling, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital; David Langenau, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital; Jeffery Karp, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Trista E North, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and Qiao (Joe) Zhou, PhD, Harvard University. The individual members of this junior faculty group are committed to collaborative investigation toward a common goal: bringing a compound of wide therapeutic potential from the bench to bedside for use in regenerative medicine.
Epigenetics of Stem Cell Function and Aging Program (2009-2013)
The Epigenetics and Aging Program, which explored the epigenetic regulation of stem cell function and aging, took a close look at how stem cells change during the aging process. Members of the team approached the study from multiple angles, including the effects of aging on blood production (Derrick Rossi, PhD, and Benjamin Ebert, MD), muscle (Andrew Brack, PhD), the cardiovascular system (Caroline Burns, PhD), and the viability of pluripotent stem cells (Alex Meissner, PhD).
Cell Regulation Program (2008-2012)
The Stem Cell Regulation Program looked at the molecular pathways that regulate stem cell differentiation and maintenance in both normal development and disease. HSCI investigators Paola Arlotta, PhD, Chad Cowan, PhD, Richard Gregory, PhD, Hanno Hock, PhD, and Carla Kim, PhD, recognized that one of the greatest obstacles to generating tissue specific cells in the laboratory at will is that the methods used to derive and maintain specialized cells from embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells were still very inefficient, and working together as a team, they shed light on the molecular pathways that lead to differentiation.
Cell Development Program (2006-2010)
The Cell Development Program emerged from the common interest of six HSCI junior faculty members (Amy Wagers, PhD, Kevin Eggan, PhD, Konrad Hochedlinger, PhD, Laurie Jackson-Grusby, PhD, Alan Davidson, PhD, Chad Cowan, PhD, and Jianlong Wang, PhD). The aim of the group was to elucidate the biochemical pathways that control nuclear reprogramming and mechanisms of cellular differentiation. This dynamic program brought together a group of like-minded and collaborative young investigators from five HSCI-affiliated research institutions who were committed to supporting each others' research projects as well as fostering the careers of other junior investigators.