University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Professor Keisuke Kaji is a molecular and cellular biologist studying cellular reprogramming for over 15 years using iPSC generation as a model. In 2009, he developed a single-vector reprogramming system using the piggyBac transposon, one of the first non-viral approach (Nature). His group identified cell surface markers for tracking the reprogramming process (Nature, 2013) and found that constitutively active Smad3 enhances multiple transcription factor-mediated cell conversions (Cell Stem Cell, 2017). They later used CRISPR screening to identify ZFP266 as a barrier to chromatin opening during iPSC generation (Nature Communications, 2022). Recently, his team has begun working on reprogramming mature hepatocytes into precursor cells with enhanced re-differentiation capacity, aiming to generate an unlimited supply of fully functional hepatocytes for toxicology testing, disease modelling, and cell therapy.
EXPANDING THERAPEUTICS THROUGH STEM CELLS AND REPROGRAMMING
Friday, June 13, 2025
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM HK Time
Friday, June 13, 2025
2:55 PM – 3:05 PM HK Time