Ep. 63: “Reprogrammed Stomach” Featuring Dr. Joe Zhou 

Guest: Stem cell researcher Dr. Joe Zhou from Harvard discusses his work and latest paper in Cell Stem Cell. His research covers beta cells, insulin regulation and organoids. Resources and Links Climate Change to Affect Wine Quality – This article suggests that climate change has fundamentally altered the climatic drivers of early wine grape harvests in France, with possible ramifications for viticulture management and wine quality. Men in US Have Lower Life Expectancies than Other Countries – This article presents the three main reasons why men in US have lower life expectancies, which are: gun violence, drugs, and car accidents. How to Tell if a T-Rex Is Pregnant – Scientists can determine if Tyrannosaurus rex is female and pregnant by the presence of medullary bone. Lost Memories Retrieved in Mice with Alzheimer’s Like Symptoms – Scientists try to retrieve “forgotten” memories in mice engineered to have Alzheimer’s symptoms. US Gets a Failing Grade in Healthy Lifestyle Behavior – Only 2.7% of all adults had all four healthy lifestyle characteristics, which are: being sufficiently active, eating a healthy diet, being a nonsmoker, and having a recommended body fat percentage. Over the Counter Painkiller More Dangerous They You Think – This article describes the effects of taking non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs especially the risk of heart complications and bleeding. Making Sperm from Stem Cells – Researchers report complete in vitro meiosis from embryonic stem cell-derived primordial germ cells. Four Key Genes Govern Growth, Multiplication of Blood Stem Cells – This article shows cohesin as a major regulator of hematopoietic stem cells and illustrate the power of global RNAi screens to identify modifiers of cell fate. Hematopoietic Reprogramming In Vitro Informs In Vivo Identification of Hemogenic Precursors to Definitive Hematopoietic Stem Cells – This article presents how reprogramming reveals a phenotype for in vivo precursors to hemogenic endothelium, establishing that direct in vitro conversion informs developmental processes in vivo. A New CRISPR Advance – CRISPR interference system in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provides a powerful platform to perform genome-scale screens in a wide range of iPSC-derived cell types, dissect developmental pathways, and model disease. Reprogrammed Stomach Tissue as a Renewable Source of Functional β Cells for Blood Glucose Regulation – Scientists show that reprogramming of antral stomach cells assembled into bioengineered mini-organs in vitro yielded transplantable units that also suppressed hyperglycemia in diabetic mice, highlighting the potential for development of engineered stomach tissues as a renewable source of functional β cells for glycemic control. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Joe Zhou Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe