Francesco Faiola

Biography

Prof. Francesco Faiola was appointed as a professor at the Research Center for Eco-Environments Sciences (RCEES), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), under the “Hundred Talent Program” of CAS. He set up his lab to study “Stem Cell Toxicology”, as the first lab in the world to be specialized in this new field. In the recent few years, Prof. Faiola has mostly investigated the molecular mechanisms of pluripotency in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and during reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). He discovered a functional interaction among the key stem cell factor Nanog, and the epigenetic DNA modifying enzymes Tet 1 and 2 that played an important role during the somatic cell reprogramming process. These findings, help not only understand how transcription factors and epigenetic regulators orchestrate stem cell pluripotency, but also improve the efficiency of reprogramming, from which the stem cell and regenerative medicine community will benefit for many years. His research culminated in several publications in prestigious journals including Nature, PNAS, and Cell Research, prompting international peer attention. Overall, Prof. Faiola has been cited about 400 times, with two of his first author articles accounting for almost 150 of the total citations. In his new research endeavor, he will investigate the molecular mechanisms of environmental pollutants’ toxicity on human health, by using stem cells. 

Research Interest

　　Stem cell toxicology