Utilisation of high-throughput technologies such as proteomics and microarrays to analyse both undifferentiated hES cells and differentiated derivatives. Analysis of the processes that lead to adaptation of stem cells to culture. The role of fundamental signalling cascades in self-renewal and directed differentiation.

Microarray based studies allow the monitoring of the expression of thousands of genes in hES cells simultaneously in a variety of experimental condition.

Human embryonic stem cells acquire genetic changes after prolonged culture periods. The genetic changes observed appear to confer a selective advantage on the hES cells which we are now seeking to analyse further. By elucidating the nature of these adaptive changes we will shed light on the signalling pathways that are crucial in the maintenance of the stem cell state and to culture conditions that will maintain hES cells in a stable state.

Pluripotency of human ES cells is their property that offers such great potential for future applications. Human ES cells will spontaneously differentiate into a wide range of cell types but this process is difficult to control. Eventual applications will depend on understanding the mechanisms that control lineage selection once the cells commit to differentiate and developing protocols to make use of that knowledge. In our group we are specifically focussing on the mechanisms that regulate neural differentiation. Eventually these cell types could be used in regenerative medicine to treat a range of neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. However, it is important to recognise that considerable research and development will be necessary before these goals can be realised.