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Ask the Expert is a forum for scientists at all stages of their careers to ask questions of leading researchers in the field of chemical biology about the techniques their labs use and the types of research they are now doing. Updates will be posted weekly to this website, so check back frequently for new answers.
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Stem Cell Chemical Biology
Dr. Sheng Ding, Ph.D.
The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
At his laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, Sheng Ding and his colleagues use combinatorial chemistry to develop large libraries of small molecules and screen them for their ability to influence cell fate in a variety of ways, such as holding stem cells in a state of self-renewal, reprogramming cells to an earlier developmental state, or precisely directing differentiation of stem cells to desired lineages. By using chemical tools, Ding and his colleagues are succeeding in influencing the course of stem cell biology. To learn more about Sheng Ding and his research, please see his Profile in Volume 4, Issue 3. |
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Will it be feasible to routinely derive induced pluripotent stem cells from somatic cells using small molecules?
So far, work mostly from our lab and several other labs has demonstrated that any of the original four reprogramming transcription factors can be replaced by small molecules. It is conceivable that iPS cells could be generated by completely chemically....more
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What are hot areas in which small molecules are needed to direct cell fate in stem cell biology?
One of the hottest areas where small molecules are needed is for reprogramming/induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell research. Small molecules that could replace reprogrammin....more
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Is it possible to guide the fate of embryonic stem cells using chemical compounds? Is there a predictive way to do this yet?
There are a number of published works in which small molecules are used to control the fate of embryonic stem cells, including self-renewal and differentiation toward specific cell lineages (e.g., sub....more
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