The revolutionary approach to restore the endogenous pull of neurons through the direct conversion striatal astrocytes into GABAergic neurons was developed by the former Penn State professor Dr. Gong Chen and his team. Read the news and the paper recently published in Nature Communication.

Using the transdifferentiation model for the generation of neuronal-like cells from blood circulating monocytes, Dr. Bellon’s laboratory studies how cellular responses to neurotransmitters and other compounds in neuronal-like cells from patients with schizophrenia differ from those in normal individuals. To visist Alfredo Bellon profile, click here. 

Dr. Sundstrom’s research program focuses on the development of biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of legal blindness in the United States. Dr. Sundstrom has developed a deep proteomics assay capable of identifying retinal derived proteins from clinical vitreous samples. To read about Dr. Sundstrom’s research, click here.

Dr. Dino Ravnic laboratory’s primary research effort is toward the creation of autologous vascularized engineered tissue that is suitable for microsurgical implantation and immediate reperfusion. To learn more about Dr. Ravnic research, click here.

Dr. Koduru’s research has focused on developing functional pancreatic beta cells from human adipose stem cells and making their molecular signature comparable with native human pancreatic beta cells using various advanced molecular techniques. These projects are done in an effort to find a solution to diabetes.

Dr. Christopher Niyibizi’s lab studies the biology of adult bone marrow-derived MSCs and their potential for skeletal repair and regeneration. The focus of the investigation is to understand engraftment characteristics of the cells and their fate when transplanted in vivo. The research uses animal models of skeletal diseases to explore the potential of stem cell therapy for the skeleton. To learn more, click here.