Pioneering Stem Cell Biologist Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch, M.D., Joins
Founding Scientific Team of Fate Therapeutics
News source: Business Wire
Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch,
M.D., founding member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical
Research and professor in the Department of Biology, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, has joined the Company's internationally
recognized team of scientific founders dedicated to understanding
stem cell biology in human physiology and disease. Dr. Jaenisch is
credited with being one of the first to discover the revolutionary
mechanisms for "reprogramming" fully-mature adult cells to a stem-
like state. The creation of these "reprogrammed" cells, known as
induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, provides numerous advantages
over stem cells sourced from human embryos and has ushered in a new
paradigm in stem cell research for modeling human diseases,
discovering and testing conventional pharmaceuticals and developing
personalized cell replacement therapies.
"Throughout his career, Dr. Jaenisch has consistently forged new
frontiers and expanded the horizon of known biology to produce
exceptional achievements in stem cell research," said Paul Grayson,
president and CEO of Fate Therapeutics. "Rudolf has unique insight
into the biological process of cell reprogramming and the necessary
requirements to translate these discoveries into future medicines. We
look forward to his guidance in our pursuit of using small molecules
and biologics to advance iPS cell technology for the development of
stem cell therapeutics.
Based on advanced adult stem cell research, Fate Therapeutics was
founded in 2007 to discover small molecules and biologics that can
guide cell fate for therapeutic purposes. In connection with Dr.
Jaenisch's joining, Fate Therapeutics announced that it has completed
an exclusive license agreement with the Whitehead Institute for
Biomedical Research covering foundational discoveries in the area of
cell reprogramming.
"We first created iPS cells using viral transcription factors, and
these genetically-
research community for studying disease formation and progression,
said Dr. Jaenisch. "As Fate Therapeutics advances iPS cell technology
through the use of small molecules and biologics, this approach not
only offers the potential to more reliably and efficiently create iPS
cells for research and drug discovery, it will also provide insight
into the development of therapeutics to activate the body's own cells
for regenerative medicine."
Dr. Jaenisch is a founding member of the Whitehead Institute and a
pioneer of developmental biology. He was the first to create a
transgenic mouse, a technical achievement that changed the course of
biomedical research by enabling the creation of animal models of
human diseases. At the Whitehead Institute, Dr. Jaenisch has been
pursuing an understanding of epigenetic regulation and reprogramming,
which has lead him to make principal discoveries in the field of stem
cells. Dr. Jaenisch has coauthored more than 300 research papers, was
appointed to the National Academy of Sciences and has received
numerous prizes and recognitions, including First Peter Gruber
Foundation Award in Genetics (2001), Robert Koch Prize for Excellence
in Scientific Achievement (2002), Brupbacher Foundation Cancer Award
(2003), Vilcek Prize (2007), and Massry Prize (2008).
Dr. Jaenisch joins the scientific founding team of Fate Therapeutics
that includes the nation's leading researchers with multiple
scientific disciplines, including developmental biology, biological
chemistry and translational medicine. The Company's scientific
founders are:
Philip Beachy, Ph.D., professor at Stanford University Institute for
Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical
Institute (HHMI) investigator, has pioneered the use of synthetic
small molecules and natural products to manipulate activities of
developmental and stem cell signaling pathways in vitro and in vivo.
Sheng Ding, Ph.D., associate professor at The Scripps Research
Institute, is identifying small molecules and genes that control cell
fate for reprogramming and differentiation. Dr. Ding's work has
important implications for the development of small molecule drugs
that can potentiate adult stem cells in vivo and reprogram
differentiated cells to new functions.
Randall Moon, Ph.D., chair and director of the Institute for Stem
Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Washington and
HHMI investigator, has focused on illuminating the biological
pathways that control adult stem cells during the process of
regeneration to develop new therapeutic methods to activate
regeneration.
David Scadden, M.D., professor at Harvard University, co-director and
co-founder of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and director of the
Center for Regenerative Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital,
has broken new ground in understanding how blood-forming stem cells,
called hematopoietic stem cells, and other adult stem cells are
maintained in the adult body in specialized niches and in developing
therapies that exploit this biology to modulate adult stem cells in
vivo.
Leonard Zon, M.D., professor at Harvard University, director of the
Stem Cell Program at Children's Hospital of Boston and HHMI
investigator, is a world expert on the biology of hematopoietic stem
cells and methods of enhancing their function for cancer and
regenerative medicine applications.
Fate Therapeutics will be featured on the iPS Cell Panel of Experts
on Friday, February 27th at 9:35 a.m. at the Cambridge Health
Institute's 16th International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference in
San Francisco. After the panel, the Company will host a breakout
session entitled, "Generation of Useful Cell Types through iPS Cell
Technology for Drug Development and Toxicity Screening."
About Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is a leading nonprofit
research and educational institution. Wholly independent in its
governance, finances, and research programs, Whitehead shares a
teaching affiliation with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
through its faculty, who hold joint MIT appointments.
About Fate Therapeutics, Inc.
Fate Therapeutics is interrogating stem cell biology to develop
therapeutics based on modulating cell fate and to enable a new drug
discovery paradigm with the Company's proprietary induced-pluripotent
stem (iPS) cell technology. The Company's first therapeutic candidate
is scheduled to enter clinical trials in early 2009 in hematopoietic
reconstitution. Fate Therapeutics is a private biotech company
headquartered in La Jolla, CA. For more information, please visit
http://www.fatether
http://www.genengne
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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