Dr Jiayu Liao an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering published a paper this week in the "Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences" dealing with human embryonic stem cell pluripotency. Dr. Liao has demonstrated that mTOR is necessary for maintenance of pluripotency in stem cells.

His team inhibited mTOR using Rapamycin, a FDA approved drug, and found that pluripotency was impaired, cell proliferation was prevented, and endodermal and mesodermal differentiation were enhanced. His discovery is very important and could have a significant impact on the future use of stem cells in regenerative medicine. It will be important to be certain that any stem cells introduced into patients do not remain pluripotent or have the potential to form tumors (teratomas). The use of Rapamycin could potentially prevent this problem.

Please click here to view Dr. Liao's paper.

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