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. Carole LaBonne is the Erastus Otis Haven Professor of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University. Her lab studies the genesis of neural crest stem cells at the level of the signaling pathways and transcription factors that comprise the neural crest gene regulatory network. They also study how these mechanisms contribute to exit from pluripotency and the subsequent lineage restriction of neural crest cells to their derivative cell types that collectively define vertebrates. (39:45) Featured Products and Resources: Save time and stay current with ESC & iPSC News. Generate high-purity neural crest precursors from hPSCs with the STEMdiff Neural Crest Differentiation Kit. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Creating Modified Cows and Sheep from Haploid Stem Cells – Scientists have successfully derived haploid androgenetic ESCs from cattle and sheep, and have developed a novel method to generate offspring from these cells. (4:33) Embryonic Stem Cells from Birds – Researchers have succeeded in deriving and maintaining authentic ESCs from chickens and seven other bird species. (13:48) Mutation Hotspots Reveal Spermatogonia Clonal Growth – As men age, harmful genetic mutations in sperm not only accumulate but are also favored during sperm production, giving them a reproductive advantage. (20:35) Canine iPSC Technology – Researchers have established culture conditions for canine iPSCs. (31:10) Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Carole LaBonne Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Paul Tesar is the Director of the Institute for Glial Sciences and the Dr. Donald and Ruth Weber Goodman Professor of Innovative Therapeutics at Case Western Reserve University. His lab uses PSCs to model neurological development and disease with a specific focus on oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. He talks about his work on oligodendrocyte maturation, advancing research into the commercial and clinical sectors, and mentoring the next generation of scientists. (42:17) Featured Products and Resources: STEMdiff Neural Crest Differentiation Kit enables high-purity generation of neural crest precursors from human pluripotent stem cells. Explore STEMCELL Technologies’ collection of technical videos and webinars on neurological disease modeling. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Spatially Patterned Kidney Assembloids – Genome-edited kidney progenitor assembloids recapitulate hallmarks of human autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. (5:50) Transposable Elements Controlling Cell Fate – This study highlights the role of transposable elements as mechano-response enhancer elements that control human cell fate and gene expression. (13:54) Cardiac Injury Recovery – Targeting a remote injury response in a non-cardiomyocyte cell type rapidly promotes post-myocardial infarction recovery of non-regenerative hearts. (22:47) Intestinal Fibrosis in Crohn’s Disease – A mouse model of creeping fat recapitulates key features of Crohn’s disease strictures. (31:40) 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. Alice Soragni is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. She talks about her work on patient-derived organoids and how they can be adapted for drug screening. She also discusses how she transitioned from structural biology to research on protein aggregation and rare diseases, and the current social media landscape for scientists. (45:20) Featured Products and Resources: Download a free wallchart on the applications of organoid cultures. Take your human pluripotent stem cell cultures further with mTeSR™ Plus. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Optogenetic Control of Morphogen Production – Researchers established a model that recapitulates Sonic hedgehog-mediated patterning of the vertebrate neural tube. (4:17) Oligodendrocyte Maturation – Reducing SOX6 levels unlocks oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination. (15:45) CAR T Therapy for Kidney Disease – Targeting extracellular matrix-producing cells with CAR T therapy is a therapeutic strategy for chronic kidney disease. (24:44) Lung Xenotransplantation – A lung from a gene-edited pig was transplanted into a brain-dead human recipient. (35:00) Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Zhongwei Li is an Associate Professor at the University of Southern California. His lab focuses on kidney organogenesis with translational applications of kidney regeneration and disease modeling. He talks about his work on PSC-derived nephron progenitors and drug discovery applications for polycystic kidney disease. (40:12) Featured Products and Resources: Share your feedback and enter to win a Bluetooth speaker! Take your human pluripotent stem cell cultures further with mTeSR™ Plus. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Chemically Induced Embryo Founder Cells: A small-molecule-only approach was used to induce mouse embryonic stem cells into embryo founder cells, which generated a mouse embryo model. (1:45) Transgene-Free Embryo Models: Scientists generated transgene-free stem cell-based embryo models solely from mouse naïve PSCs. (13:25) Hypoimmune CAR T Cells: Allogeneic hypoimmune CAR T cells do not induce an immune response in patients. (21:15) Reconstructing PSC-Islets: PSC-islets comprising all five endocrine subtypes were reconstructed and transplanted into mice. (32:03) Image courtesy of Dr. Zhongwei Li 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. Jeanne Loring is a Co-Founder of Aspen Neuroscience and Professor Emeritus at Scripps Research. She talks about generating gametes from the functionally extinct northern white rhinoceros, Aspen’s early days and its recent clinical trial results for Parkinson’s cell therapy, and sending her own stem cells into space. She also discusses the need for genetic variation in iPSC lines. (46:23) Featured Products and Resources: Help shape the future of the stem cell podcast by completing this ten-minute survey. Explore STEMCELL Technologies’ collection of technical videos and webinars on neurological disease modeling. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Lack of Evidence for Transitional Cerebellar Progenitors – New analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing refutes the existence of transitional cerebellar progenitor cells. (1:50) Organoid Vascularization – Vascularized organoids resemble human fetal lung and intestine features. (17:05) Metabolic Profiling of HSPCs – Researchers presented the integrated metabolome, lipidome, and transcriptome of human adult HSPCs upon differentiation, aging, and acute myeloid leukemia. (28:40) Blood Vessels in Liver Organoids – Scientists generated liver organoids that contain fully perfused human vessels with functional sinusoid-like features. (37:00) Image courtesy of Dr. Jeanne Loring 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

In June 2025, we attended ISSCR 2025, the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, in Hong Kong. We spoke with delegates about their research, their impressions of the meeting, and the most memorable research presented. They also discussed their experiences exploring Hong Kong. Featured Products and Resources: Wallchart: Reporting Practices for Publishing Results with hPSCs 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