Cheng Xin

Biography

CHENG Xin is a Professor of Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, China. Research Areas: Directed Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Research Interests: Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), hold tremendous therapeutic promise owing to their unlimited in vitro proliferation capacity and the potential to generate all cell types. These unique features made them ideal candidates for modeling mammalian development and diseases, as well as new sources for cell-based therapies. To realize the potential, it is essential to control the differentiation of these cells towards desired lineages. Developmental biology has offered important insights into key signaling pathways regulating PSC differentiation, resulting in advances in the efficient induction many cells types including those of liver and pancreas. My research program focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate endoderm and mesoderm development utilizing the in vitro differentiation of PSCs, as well as the generation of functional mature cell types aimed for cell replacement therapies. The major area of interest in the lab is endoderm formation. We are studying a unique human PSC-derived endodermal stem cell population termed EP cells. Endoderm stem cells have the ability to be expanded in culture indefinitely yet lack teratoma-forming potential, and have demonstrated the ability to efficiently generate many endoderm-derived tissues such as liver, pancreas, intestine, lung and thymus. Thus, EP cell lines provide a powerful reagent to study how different gut tissues are specified from a common multipotent endodermal progenitor and to optimize mono-lineage differentiation. We are studying the signaling and transcriptional pathways that regulate endoderm stem cell generation, maintenance and differentiation. We are also utilizing primate (human and Rhesus monkey) endodermal stem cell populations as a model to study diseases, and as a new starting material to generate pure, non-tumorigenic, functional mature cells of liver, pancreas and thymus for therapeutic purposes. We are also interested in generating various mesodermal populations from PSCs. These populations will be utilized as a platform to study the interaction between mesoderm and endoderm, as well as a strategy to optimize the production of fully functional cells for tissue replacement therapies.

Research Interest

Directed Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Research Interests: Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), hold tremendous therapeutic promise owing to their unlimited in vitro proliferation capacity and the potential to generate all cell types. These unique features made them ideal candidates for modeling mammalian development and diseases, as well as new sources for cell-based therapies. To realize the potential, it is essential to control the differentiation of these cells towards desired lineages. Developmental biology has offered important insights into key signaling pathways regulating PSC differentiation, resulting in advances in the efficient induction many cells types including those of liver and pancreas. My research program focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate endoderm and mesoderm development utilizing the in vitro differentiation of PSCs, as well as the generation of functional mature cell types aimed for cell replacement therapies. The major area of interest in the lab is endoderm formation. We are studying a unique human PSC-derived endodermal stem cell population termed EP cells. Endoderm stem cells have the ability to be expanded in culture indefinitely yet lack teratoma-forming potential, and have demonstrated the ability to efficiently generate many endoderm-derived tissues such as liver, pancreas, intestine, lung and thymus. Thus, EP cell lines provide a powerful reagent to study how different gut tissues are specified from a common multipotent endodermal progenitor and to optimize mono-lineage differentiation. We are studying the signaling and transcriptional pathways that regulate endoderm stem cell generation, maintenance and differentiation. We are also utilizing primate (human and Rhesus monkey) endodermal stem cell populations as a model to study diseases, and as a new starting material to generate pure, non-tumorigenic, functional mature cells of liver, pancreas and thymus for therapeutic purposes. We are also interested in generating various mesodermal populations from PSCs. These populations will be utilized as a platform to study the interaction between mesoderm and endoderm, as well as a strategy to optimize the production of fully functional cells for tissue replacement therapies.