Dr. Danwei Huangfu
Associate Professor
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA

Date: Thursday, 25-October-2018
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Venue: A2-08, 2/F, Mrs. Chen Yang Foo Oi Telemedicine Centre,
William MW Mong Block, Faculty of Medicine Building,
21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

Summary:
Dr. Huangfu’s laboratory is interested in understanding pancreatic development and disease through applying genetic approaches in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (hESCs and hiPSCs). Combining CRISPR/Cas-mediated gene editing and stem cell technologies, their reverse genetics approach has revealed the roles of key transcription factors pancreatic development and diabetes. Using the forward genetics approach, Dr. Huangfu’s laboratory performed the first genome-wide knockout screen for identification of developmental regulators. They identified novel genes that regulate the formation of definitive endoderm cells, which give rise to most pancreatic cells among other cells in the respiratory and digestive tract. Together their findings establish the use of hPSCs as a genetic model system for studying congenital defects and diabetes.

ALL ARE WELCOME