Rutgers graduate unit studies effects of stem cell migration

Stem cells are multifunctional agents with the ability to develop into their surrounding environments. They can become bone cells, muscle cells or even nerve cells, which cannot be repaired or regenerated in the central nervous system.

KiBum Lee, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, is studying the effects of stem cell migration throughout the body with his team of graduate students.

The team is studying how stem cells move, interact and communicate with other cells, he said. These factors significantly affect stem cell behavior.

According to the National Institutes of Health, stem cells have the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In many tissues, they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is alive.

Lee said his team is specifically interested in stem cell neuron differentiation, which allows the stem cell to become a neuron. This is achieved through observing the cells extracellular matrix.

The cells extracellular matrix the outer shell that supports a cells structure and behavior is used for understanding underlying mechanical forces resulting from its composition, he said.

This mechanical force is observed through testing three different types of substrates, or materials soft, hard and in between, he said.

If you culture a stem cell with different substrates, it has the ability to [become] neuron, bone or muscle cells, he said.

When culturing a stem cell with a hard substrate, the cell is most likely to generate bone cells. He said they could also influence stem cells to generate neural cells.

The team also develops 2-D and 3-D patterns that correspond to various protein ECM patterns, he said. They use this to understand how stem cells interact with other cells ECMs.

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Rutgers graduate unit studies effects of stem cell migration