The Stem Cell Podcast

Guest: Dr. Deepak Srivastava is the President of the Gladstone Institutes and Director of the Roddenberry Stem Cell Center. His lab is focused on the gene networks that guide cardiac development. He talks about their recent work investigating heart defects in Down syndrome and strategies for delivering therapies to the heart. He also talks about how to incentivize the development and commercialization of cell and gene therapies. (41:50) Featured Products and Resources: Submit your abstract for ISSCR 2026! STEMdiff™ Ventricular Cardiomyocyte Differentiation Kit The Stem Cell Science Round Up Heart and Ganglion Development – Researchers fused human sympathetic ganglion organoids and heart-forming organoids to construct functional connections between the sympathetic ganglia and the heart. (2:38) Periportal Liver Assembloids – Patient-specific periportal liver assembloids retain the histological arrangement, gene expression, and cell interactions of periportal liver tissue. (9:40) PIEZO1 and Drug-Induced Cardiotoxicity – Restoring endothelial PIEZO1 protects against tyrosine kinase inhibitor-induced hypertension and cardiac dysfunction. (19:28) Somite and Neural Tube Co-Development – Scientists developed human trunk-like structures that have morphologically organized somites and a neural tube that form through self-organized, endogenous signaling. (28:43) Image courtesy of Dr. Deepak Srivastava Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

Guest: Dr. Hans Clevers is a Professor of Molecular Genetics and Distinguished Group Leader at the University of Utrecht. In this episode, he discusses snake gut and lung organoids, transitioning from academia to industry, and the challenges and complexities of creating a cell therapy. (44:26) Featured Products and Resources: Registration and abstracts are open for the ISSCR 2026 annual meeting. Receive an offer to try IntestiCult in your lab. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Computers Made From Human Brain Cells – Researchers have shown that structured neuronal firing sequences appear in spontaneous activity of human and murine brain organoids. (2:37) Organoids Replicate Vascular Pathology – Scientists have developed a blood vessel organoid model from Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome-mutant hESCs. (12:01) Effects of Spaceflight on Stem Cells – Analyses of nine astronauts before, during, and after three short-duration International Space Station missions shows space-associated stem cell hallmarks of aging and resilience. (21:14) The Role of Lysosomes in HSC Aging – Reversing lysosomal dysfunction restores youthful state in aged hematopoietic stem cells. (33:25) Photo Reference: Courtesy of Hans Clevers Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

Guest: Dr. Thomas Vierbuchen is Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In this episode, he talks about using PSCs to model neurodevelopmental processes. He also discusses his direct reprogramming work and his lab’s recent study on OTX2 in gastrulation. (42:02) Featured Products and Resources: Submit your abstract for ISSCR 2026! Explore STEMCELL Technologies’ collection of technical videos and webinars on neurological disease modeling. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Restoring Function After Spinal Cord Injury: In a non-human primate model of spinal injury, researchers grafted ESC-derived spinal cord neural stem cells and improved forelimb function. (2:00) Improving HSC Expansion: Inhibiting ferroptosis augments the expansion of HSCs ex vivo. (11:40) Cardiomyocytes and Macrophage Reprogramming: Injury-induced Clusterin+ cardiomyocytes promote neonatal heart regeneration by reprogramming macrophages. (21:27) Bone Marrow Organoids: A 3D in vitro bone marrow model captures phenotypic, structural, and functional features of human endosteal bone marrow niches. (33:03) Image courtesy of Dr. Thomas Vierbuchen Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

Guest: Dr. Sumru Bayin is a Group Leader at the Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge. She talks about her work on regeneration in the neonatal mouse cerebellum and how cerebellar interneurons differentiate. She also discusses organizing a workshop to facilitate collaborations in regenerative biology, and her memories of the late Sir John Gurdon. (40:30) Featured Products and Resources: Keep current with the latest in neural cell news. STEMdiff™ Neural Crest Differentiation Kit The Stem Cell Science Round Up Heart-Macrophage Assembloids – Human heart–macrophage assembloids enable the study of immune–cardiac interactions and the modeling of arrhythmias. (1:41) Human Nucleus Basalis Organoids – Human nucleus basalis of Meynert organoids can fuse with human cortical organoids and are used to model neurodevelopmental disorders. (11:15) A Brain Organoid Atlas – Scientists used iPSCs from patients with neurodevelopmental disorders to generate a brain organoid atlas. (20:19) Human Cortex Development – Lineage tracing in human tissue samples provides insight into lineage relationships between cortical cell types. (28:03) Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

Guest: Dr. Juan Melero-Martin is an Associate Professor and the Endowed Chair in Cardiac Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. His lab uses bioengineering principles to understand how vascular networks are formed and the mechanisms by which the vasculature modulates the engraftment and activity of various human stem cells. (42:03) Featured Products and Resources: Save time and stay current with ESC & iPSC News. Learn experimental procedures and laboratory techniques for life science research The Stem Cell Science Round Up Chromosomal Genes Linked to Heart Disease – Scientists identified HMGN1, a nuclear binding protein, as a key contributor to trisomy 21-related congenital heart defects. (1:46) Questioning Common Technique for Assessing IVF Embryos  – Live imaging of late-stage preimplantation human embryos suggests that abnormalities can arise at a later stage of development than previously thought. (14:14) Vitamin C Protects Ovaries – Scientists have shown that oral vitamin C protects against ovarian aging in primates. (24:07) Multi-Branching Cell Differentiation Trajectories – A new Hodge Laplacian model has advanced single-cell multimodal data analysis by providing highly reliable results for complex multi-branching trajectories. (33:58) Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Juan Melero-Martin. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

Guest: Dr. Lars Velten is a Group Leader at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona. He talks about his research on cell-state-specific enhancers in hematopoiesis and lineage tracing techniques to study blood aging. He also discusses combining generative AI with wet lab techniques and the advantages of risk-taking in basic research. (40:41) Featured Products and Resources: StemSpan™ Hematopoietic Cell Media and Supplements Explore educational resources to help you further your research on hematopoiesis and hematological malignancies. The Stem Cell Science Round Up HSPC Aging in Space – Spaceflight reduces telomere maintenance and HSPC self-renewal. (1:50) Modeling Myelin Repair – Brain organoids with integrated microglia enabled the investigation of demyelination and remyelination. (14:45) Gastric Cancer Organoids – CRISPR screens with human tumor organoids revealed metabolic dependencies and synthetic lethal pairs. (25:55) Gastroids to Model Stomach Development – This study reveals a principle for instructing gastric patterning and provides a platform for advancing knowledge of stomach organogenesis. (33:10) Image courtesy of Dr. Lars Velten Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &

Guest: Dr. Mark Hatley is an Associate Faculty Member and Director of the Division of Molecular Oncology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. His research focuses on the developmental origins and genetic mechanisms of pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma. He talks about his work on pediatric oncology and the mechanisms that differentiate normal development from cancer. He also discusses the role of PAX3-FOXO1 and DICER1 in tumorigenesis. (37:50) Featured Products and Resources: Share your feedback and enter to win a Bluetooth speaker! Get a free wallchart that explains the functions, properties, and identifying markers of MSCs. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Transplanting Allogeneic Beta Cells – Researchers transplanted genetically modified allogeneic donor islet cells into a man with long-standing type 1 diabetes. (1:37) Pig Liver Xenotransplantation – RNA sequencing highlights how innate immune cells may affect thrombotic and immune pathways after liver xenotransplantation. (12:03) Chemical Reprogramming – A new method generates hCiPS cells from both cord blood and adult peripheral blood cells. (21:10) T Cell Development – Soluble Notch agonists support T cell development in suspension bioreactor culture. (27:30) Image courtesy of Dr. Mark Hatley Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

Guest: Dr. James Briscoe is a Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute and Editor-In-Chief of Development. His lab uses an interdisciplinary approach, including mice, chicks, and other models, to study developmental dynamics. He discusses his lab’s work on human trunk formation and his role as an Editor-In-Chief. (44:55) Featured Products and Resources: Enter to win a personalized lab coat! Wallchart: Building Three-Dimensional Human Brain Organoids The Stem Cell Science Round Up Neural Organoid Self-Organization – Researchers used live light-sheet microscopy to track organoid development. (1:30) Lung Cancer Organoids – A gel-liquid interface co-culture model of lung cancer organoids represents immunotherapy results in lung cancer patients. (13:25) Digital Reconstruction of Embryos – Scientists reconstructed full digital mouse embryos at single-cell resolution during early organogenesis. (22:00) Rapid Generation of Vascular Organoids – A new vascular organoid platform has broad potential for vascular modeling, disease studies, and regenerative cell therapy. (32:17) Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

Guests: Dr. Hongkui Deng is the Director of the Institute of Stem Cell Research at Peking University and Dr. Candice Liew is a Senior Scientist at Reprogenix Bioscience. In this special episode recorded in front of a live audience at ISSCR 2025 in Hong Kong, they discuss their groundbreaking study transplanting CiPSC-derived islets into a patient with type 1 diabetes. They talk about their approach to chemical reprogramming, immune tolerance, and the therapy’s impact on the first patient. Featured Products and Resources: Wallchart: Directed Differentiation of ESCs and iPSCs   Images courtesy of Drs. Hongkui Deng and Candice Liew Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

In June 2025, Daylon and Arun attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) annual meeting in Hong Kong, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the final of four episodes from the meeting. Sessions focused on cell therapy for spinal cord injury, immunocompatible pig organs, and community engagement. Featured Products and Resources: Are you taking a cell therapy to clinic? Work with a dedicated team that understands the path from bench to bedside. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

In June 2025, Daylon and Arun attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) annual meeting in Hong Kong, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the third of four episodes, where Daylon and Arun discuss research on cell therapy for inflammatory bowel disease and hearing loss. They also talk about Dr. Jacob Hanna’s work on ex utero embryo culture, Dr. Paola Arlotta’s research on long-term brain organoids, and Di Pan’s insights into sponge regeneration. Featured Products and Resources: Get access to free, on-demand training courses to help you master techniques in hPSC, hematopoietic, organoid, neural, and other specialized cell types. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &

In June 2025, Daylon and Arun attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) annual meeting in Hong Kong, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the second of four episodes, where Daylon and Arun cover talks on animal models of regeneration and the public perception of in vitro gametogenesis. They also discuss work on CiPSCs for Type 1 diabetes therapy and growing pig-human chimeric embryos. Featured Products and Resources: Explore the possibilities for reproducible, high-quality hPSC differentiation with easy-to-use serum-free kits. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

In June 2025, Daylon and Arun attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) annual meeting in Hong Kong, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the first of four episodes, where Daylon and Arun discuss updates from clinical trials for ALS, congenital heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease. They also talk about the Presidential Plenary session, chaired by Dr. Valentina Greco. Featured Products and Resources: Start your research confidently with a reliable source of human iPSC products. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

Guest: Dr. Maneesha Inamdar is the Director of the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine and Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research. Her lab uses comparative models, including mice, Drosophila, stem cell lines, and gastruloids, to study developmental biology. She talks about using embryo models to investigate teratogenicity, prioritizing ethnically diverse cell lines, and representing Indian scientists in global discussions. (44:03) Featured Products and Resources: Enter to win a personalized lab coat! Free On-Demand Training: Expansion of hPSCs in 3D Suspension Culture The Stem Cell Science Round Up Vascularized Cardiac and Hepatic Organoids – An in vitro model mimics the earliest developmental stages of cardiac and hepatic organoid vascularization. (1:50) Mouse Liver Assembloids – A multicellular organoid system recapitulates the architecture of the liver periportal region. (14:55) Dilated Cardiomyopathy Mechanisms – Researchers investigated the effects of cardiac troponin T dysregulation on sarcomere–mitochondrial communication in dilated cardiomyopathy. (26:05) Mitochondrial DNA Base Editors – Scientists modeled and corrected a mitochondrial disease using engineered base editors in rat zygotes. (35:00) Image courtesy of Dr. Maneesha Inamdar Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

Guest: Dr. Scott Younger is the Director of Disease Gene Engineering within the Genomic Medicine Center at Children’s Mercy Hospital. His research focuses on producing patient-derived cellular models to develop functional precision medicine. He talks about using personalized antisense oligonucleotides to reverse disease phenotypes in organoid models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He also discusses his lab’s personal connections to the rare disease community and the opportunities for collaborations with clinicians at Children’s Mercy. (36:52) Featured Products and Resources: Register now for ISSCR 2025! Learn more about organoid applications for studying human health. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Chronic Stress and Intestinal Stem Cells – Chronic impairs the stemness of intestinal stem cells via the vagal pathway. (1:43) Liver Regeneration – Glutamate metabolically reprograms bone marrow-derived macrophages, subsequently boosting liver regeneration. (9:40) CRISPR Activation in Embryo Models – CRISPR activation-programmed embryo models mimic the pre-gastrulation embryonic stage. (18:30) Retinal Regeneration – Human neural retinal stem-like cells in fetal retinas exhibit substantial self-renewal and differentiation potential. (27:45) Image courtesy of Dr. Scott Younger Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &&

Guest: Dr. Jonathan Thomas “JT” is the President and CEO of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), an organization that provides funding for stem cell research with the purpose of accelerating treatments for patients in need. He talks about working to ensure diversity in clinical trials and developing treatments that are affordable and accessible to patients. He also discusses the progress during the twenty years since CIRM’s inception, training the next generation of scientists, and balancing support for basic and clinical research. (41:03) Featured Products and Resources: Register now for ISSCR 2025 in Hong Kong! Cell Quality Attributes of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells The Stem Cell Science Round Up Regulating Naive Pluripotency – Scientists used a targeted rapid protein degradation system to show that GABPA is a master pluripotency regulator. (1:36) Skin Wound Healing – A spatiotemporal atlas of human skin wound tissues identifies FOSL1 as a critical driver of re-epithelialization. (11:50) Bone Marrow Stem Cell Niches – The bone marrow niche orchestrates hierarchy in stem cells and immune tolerance. (20:49) Synthetic Organizer Cells – Synthetic organizer cells self-assemble around stem cells and produce morphogens. (30:50) Image courtesy of Dr. Jonathan Thomas Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &

Guest: Dr. Ziyuan Guo is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Center for Stem Cell & Organoid Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He talks about in vivo reprogramming and cell and gene therapy in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. He also discusses assembloids to model the blood-brain barrier and strategies for organoid vascularization. Featured Products and Resources: Use STEMdiff Cerebral Organoid Kits to mimic early brain development. Get a free wallchart showing how neural organoids are generated and can be used to better understand brain development. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Modeling Celiac Disease – Scientists generated air–liquid interface duodenal organoids from celiac disease patients. Intestinal Immuno-Organoids – Intestinal immuno-organoids can be used to study tissue-resident immune responses in tumorigenesis and other diseases. Naive PSCs in the Blastocyst – A blastocyst motif substrate reverts mouse and human PSCs to a naive state in vitro. Sensory Neuron Excitability – Schwann cell-secreted PGE2 promotes neuronal maturation and normal sensory function. Image courtesy of Dr. Ziyuan Guo Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe &

Guest: Dr. Pierre Vanderhaeghen is a Professor and Principal Investigator at VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research. His lab studies the mechanisms of cortical development and brain evolution. He talks about species-specific neuronal development, human neuron excitability, and playing in a rock cover band! Featured Products and Resources: Register now for ISSCR 2024, taking place July 10-13 in Hamburg, Germany! The Lab Coats & Life™  has launched! Listen to conversations to help you thrive as a scientist. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Modeling Cancer Ex Vivo – Induced mini-colons recapitulated hallmarks of colorectal tumors. Human Embryo Gastrulation – Scientists reconstructed a 3D model of a gastrulating human embryo using spatial transcriptomics. Treating Timothy Syndrome – Antisense oligonucleotides rescued defects in patient-derived cortical organoids. Sympathetic Neurons in Jawless Vertebrates – Scientists identified trunk sympathetic neurons in the sea lamprey. Image courtesy of Dr. Pierre Vanderhaeghen Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Blair Benham-Pyle is an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine. She talks about how multipotent cells in Schmidtea mediterranea enable whole-body regeneration. She also discusses the effects of the mechanical environment on stem cell fate. Featured Products and Resources: Register for ISSCR 2024! Get updates about new mentorship content from Lab Coats & Life™ The Stem Cell Science Round Up Antibodies to Rejuvenate the Immune System – Depleting myeloid-biased HSCs in aged mice restores features of a more youthful immune system. Infant Intestinal Perforation and Brain Injury – Scientists identified subventricular zone echogenicity on cranial ultrasound in preterm infants following intestinal perforations. Cell Fate in Brain Development – Researchers studied fate decisions in cerebral organoids and early fetal tissue. Autofluorescence in Neural Stem Cells – Quiescent and activated neural stem cells have unique autofluorescence profiles. Image courtesy of Dr. Blair Benham-Pyle Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guests: Dr. Amander Clark is the President of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and Founding Director of the Center for Reproductive Science, Health, and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Agnete Kirkeby is a Program Chair of the ISSCR Annual Meeting, Associate Professor at Lund University and the University of Copenhagen, and Group Leader at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology – reNEW. Dr. Malin Parmar is a Program Chair of the ISSCR Annual Meeting, Professor at Lund University, and a New York Stem Cell Foundation – Robertson Investigator. They talk about the upcoming ISSCR 2024 meeting in Hamburg, Germany from July 10-13, 2024. They discuss the meeting’s clinical focus, spotlight and plenary sessions, and opportunities for students and postdocs. Featured Products and Resources: Submit your abstract for ISSCR 2024! Get updates about new mentorship content from Lab Coats & Life™ The Stem Cell Science Round Up Hypoblast Development in the Embryo – Scientists examined post-implantation signaling interactions using human embryos and stem cell models of the epiblast and hypoblast. Retinoic Acid in Tissue Regeneration – Manipulating retinoid availability in skin and in culture allowed researchers to direct stem cells to heal wounds or to make hair. Human Heart Development – Researchers developed a spatial map of the developing human heart. Bioprinting Cardiac Tissues – hPSC-atrioventricular canal cardiomyocytes can delay electrical impulse in 3D bioprinted tissue. Image courtesy of Drs. Amander Clark, Agnete Kirkeby, and Malin Parmar Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe