Module 1: Novel Methods of Reprogramming

 Module Leader Associate Professor Ernst Wolvetang
 Host Organisation Australian Institute for Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland

Module description

iPS cells are pluripotent cells (can generate every cell type of the human body) that are patient specific and therefore promising tools for personalised regenerative medicine. At present iPS cells can be routinely generated through lentiviral delivery of a cocktail of genes, albeit at relatively low efficiency. If iPS cells are going to deliver on their promise as the ideal starting material for regenerative medicine there are a number of hurdles that need to be overcome; a) they must be generated without the use of integrating viruses b) they must be shown to be safe and genetically stable c) they must be able to be generated in a xeno-free fashion with good efficiency d) Their generation must be user and patient friendly as well as cost effective.

Aims

Short term
  1. Disease models.
  2. Training of researchers in iPS generation and dissemination of iPS lines.

Long term
  1. Novel reprogramming methods.
  2. Better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying reprogramming.
  3. Enable clinical translation of iPS cells and their derivatives.

Module Leader biography

Associate Professor Ernst Wolvetang leads the human embryonic stem cell engineering group within the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland. Previously, he was head of the Basic Human Embryonic Stem Cell Biology Laboratory at the Australian Stem Cell Centre. Between 1997 and 2006, Associate Professor Wolvetang was located at the Centre for Early Human Development in the Institute for Reproduction and Development, Monash University.

He then joined the laboratory of Associate Professor Martin Pera (2003-2006) to investigate the role of signalling/gene regulation pathways in the control of growth, differentiation and apoptosis of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) by using retroviral transduction of sh RNA’s and cDNAs. This work culminated in his publication (Nature Biotechnology) describing the relationship between the expression of CD30, apoptosis and genetic instability in hESC. As a result of this work, Associate Professor Wolvetang is now recognised nationally and internationally for his knowledge on proliferation, apoptosis and genetic stability of hESC.

Contact details

 E-mail  e.wolvetang@uq.edu.au
 Phone  +61 7 3346 3894

Selected publications

  1. Méabh Cullinane, Lan Gong, Natalie Lazar-Adler, Thien Tra, Ernst Wolvetang, Mark Prescott, John D. Boyce, Rodney J. Devenish., and Ben Adler. Stimulation of autophagy suppresses the intracellular survival of Burkholderia pseudomallei in mammalian cell lines. (2008) Autophagy (in press). [IF 4.657 Cited 2]
  2. Hannan NRF and EJ Wolvetang. Adipocyte differentiation in human embryonic stem cells transduced with Oct4 shRNA lentivirus. (2008) Stem Cell Dev. (accepted). [IF 3.224 Cited N/A]
  3. Wolvetang EJ, Pera MF, Zuckerman KS. Gap-junction mediated transport of shRNA between human embryonic stem cells. (2007) Biochem.Biophys. Res.Comm. 363(3):610-5. [IF 2.749 Cited 3]
  4. Grandela C, Pera MF, Grimmond S, Kolle G and Wolvetang EJ. p53 is required for etoposide-induced apoptosis of human embryonic stem cells. (2007) Stem cell Research (in press, accepted Dec 2007).[IF N/A Cited N/A]
  5. Grandela C and Wolvetang E. (2007) hESC Adaptation, Selection and Stability. Stem Cell Rev. 2007 Fall;3(3):183-91. [IF 1.493 Cited 1]
  6. Davidson, KC; Daly, R; Wolvetang, EJ, et al . Wnt signaling in human embryonic stem cells.. (2007) Book chapter: Cytometry part A Volume: 69A Issue: 5 Pages: 412-412. [IF 2.978 Cited 0]
  7. Wolvetang E ,Herszfeld D, Langton –Bunker E, Chung T, Filipczyk A, Houssami S, Koh K, Laslett AL, Michalska A, Nguyen L, Reubinoff BE, Tellis I, Auerbach JM, Ording CJ, Looijenga LHJ, and Pera MF. (2006) CD30 is a survival factor and a biomarker for transformed human pluripotent stem cells. Nat.Biotech. 24(3):351-7. [IF 22.7 Cited 31].
  8. Pebay A., Wong R., Pitson SM., Wolvetang E., Peh GS., Filipczyk A., Koh KL., Tellios I., Nguyen LT., Pera MF. (2005) Essential roles of sphingosine-1-phosphate and platelet-derived growth factor in the maintenance of human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cells. 23 (10):1541-1548. [IF 6.094 Cited 31]
  9. Helguera P, Pelsman A, Pigino G, Wolvetang E, Head E, Busciglio J. (2005) Ets-2 Promotes the Activation of a Mitochondrial Death Pathway in Down's Syndrome Neurons. J Neurosci. 25 (9), 2295-2303. [IF 7.506 Cited 13]
  10. Thouas GA, Trounson AO, Wolvetang EJ and Jones GM (2004) Mitochondrial dysfunction in oocytes results in embryo developmental arrest in vitro. Biol.Rep. 71 (6), 1936-42.[IF 3.550 Cited 12]