Experimental Stem Cell Therapies

Our laboratory tries to learn how somatic stem cells can be generated from pluripotent stem cell sources. With the main emphasis on blood-formation, we try to understand the role of homeotic selector (HOX) transcription factors for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) formation. In addition, we also address the question whether an appropriate niche can be formed by iPSC-derived mesenchymal and neural cells which supports full HSC maturation, in vitro. Our ultimate goal is to define principles allowing for the in vitro generation of patient-tailored, autologous human HSPCs useful for cell-replacement and gene therapies.