Cell Differentiation (CIP2)

This Center-Initiated Project is systematically characterizing the heterogeneous cell subpopulations within normal and pathological tissues of the human brain and pancreas, and determining the gene expression and epigenetic properties of each member of the organ lineage tree, from stem cells to terminally differentiated cells. Using this data, this project will compare the stem cell differentiation hierarchy of normal tissues to that of the disease states to elucidate underlying mechanisms of pathogenesis, and identify gene expression and epigenetic markers for premalignant or malignant stem cell contaminating cell products intended for patient clinical trials.

Stephen Quake, DPhil

Stephen Quake (PI) is the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics at Stanford University, and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is recognized as one of the fathers of microfluidics and a pioneer of genomics. He has received many prizes for his discoveries and inventions, including the Lemelson-MIT Prize for invention and innovation, the Nakasone Prize from the Human Frontiers of Science Foundation, the Sackler International Prize for Biophysics, and the Promega Biotechnology Award from the American Society for Microbiology.


Michael F. Clarke, MD

Michael F. Clarke (co-PI) is the Karel and Avice Beekhuis Professor in Cancer Biology at Stanford University and the Associate Director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.