讲座题目：报告一：Therapeutic strategies for skeletal muscle defects

报告二：Microenvironment Mediated Musculoskeletal Differentiation of Stem Cells

报告人：Shyni Varghese

时 间：11月26日（周五）下午 2:00 - 4:00
地 点：校医院A-534会议室
主持人：葛子钢（特聘研究员）

报告一内容摘要：
     Muscle wasting is a serious health problem affecting all age groups from children to elderly. In children, muscle wasting (e.g., muscular dystrophies) is mainly associated with genetic factors, while in the older population, it is mainly attributed to environmental factors such as immobilization, denervation, microgravity, and other diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart failures. In spite of more than 150 years of efforts, there are no effective treatments currently available for rectifying muscle-wasting pathology. In our laboratory, we are developing a number of strategies to treat skeletal muscle degeneration. These efforts range from employing multifunctional small molecules for activating endogenous to developing stem cell based therapies. First, I will talk about small molecules designed to promote myogenic commitment of progenitor cells while modulating the inflammatory environment of tissue. Systemic administration of these small molecules had a significant effect on skeletal muscle function of mdx mice, an animal model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Next, I will talk about the development of a number of strategies to promote myogenic differentiation of stem cells and progenitor cells.

报告二内容摘要：
     Cell and tissue engineering has a significant potential for repairing compromised tissues and treating various diseases. Before this approach can be translated from the “bench” to the “bedside”, many fundamental biological and engineering challenges need to be overcome. These challenges include: ex vivo expansion of stem cells without phenotypic alterations, lineage-specific differentiation of stem cells, and the in vivo engraftment of engineered cells or tissues. In this talk, I will present several examples of engineering cellmicroenvironmentscomprising of synthetic biomimetic matrices and cell-cell interactions in the form of soluble signals to regulate the lineage/tissue specific differentiation of stem cells into skeletal tissues. In particular, the impact of biomineralization-mediated cell-matrix interactions and cell-secreted morphogenetic factors on stem cell differentiation into three-dimensional bone and cartilage tissues will be discussed. I will also elaborate upon the use of specialized co-culture systems to understand the role of proximal somatic cells in determining embryonic cells fate/commitment.