Helen M. Blau

Administrative Appointments

• Director, Baxter Laboratory in Genetic Pharmacology (2000 - present)
• Faculty Affiliate, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (2003 - present)
• Member, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (2004 - present)
• Faculty Affiliate, Bio-X Program (2005 - present)

Honors and Awards

• Board Member, Harvard Board of Overseer’s (2004-2010)
• Council Member, Institute of Medicine (IOM) (2004-2006)
• Honorary Doctorate, University of Nijmegen, Holland (2003)
• Rolf-Sammet-Fonds Visiting Professorship, University of Frankfurt (2003)
• President, International Society of Differentiation (2002-2004)

Professional Education

• Ph.D., Harvard University, (1975)
• M.A., Harvard University, (1970)
• B.A., University of York, (1969)

Postdoctoral Advisees

Penney Gilbert, Foteini Mourkioti

Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations

• Microbiology and Immunology
• Chemical and Systems Biology
• Neonatology and Developmental Biology

Web Site Links

• Blau Lab Website

Research Interests

The question of fundamental interest to our laboratory is how cells maintain a quiescent, proliferative or differentiated state. Once a cell becomes specialized for function in a particular tissue, that differentiated state is stable, yet the molecular mechanisms that control the expression of its characteristic repertoire of genes are largely dynamic. Our research is directed at understanding this apparent paradox and elucidating the nature of cell memory and cell plasticity. By perturbing the intracellular or extracellular milieu, we are probing the regulatory network that determines cell fate and how it can be altered. This knowledge is key to our understanding of stem cell quiescence, self-renewal, differentiation, and how cancer arises. This information is also critical to the use of somatic cells or stem cells for therapeutic purposes.

Stem Cell Biology in Bioengineered Niches: we are using nanotechnology to study the role of extrinsic tethered and soluble factors in stem cell fate determination and self-renewal. Specifically, we are studying the effects over time of soluble components (growth factors, morphogens and cytokines) and tethered insoluble components (cell-cell adhesion and extracellular matrix components) on apoptosis, cell division, and differentiation of live single cells in hydrogel microwells by time lapse microscopy. We are elucidating the cell intrinsic molecular mechanisms that govern nuclear reprogramming critical to directing adult stem cell differentiation for use in cell based therapies. To study chromatin remodeling mechanisms necessary for reprogramming, we are using cell fusion and nuclear transfer approaches.

Technology Development for Elucidation of Regulatory Pathways: using technologies developed in our laboratory (restriction enzyme generated siRNAs (REGS) for loss of function analyses and beta-galactosidase assays of protein complementation for monitoring intracellular protein translocation, membrane receptor...

Publications

• Myoblasts and macrophages share molecular components that contribute to cell-cell fusion. Pajcini KV, Pomerantz JH, Alkan O, Doyonnas R, Blau HM "J Cell Biol" 2008 ; 5 (180) : 1005-19
• Hepatic parenchymal replacement in mice by transplanted allogeneic hepatocytes is facilitated by bone marrow transplantation and mediated by CD4 cells. Streetz KL, Doyonnas R, Grimm D, Jenkins DD, Fuess S, Perryman S, Lin J, Trautwein C, Shizuru J, Blau H, Sylvester KG, Kay MA "Hepatology" 2008 ; 2 (47) : 706-18
• Cell therapies for muscular dystrophy. Blau HM, "N Engl J Med" 2008 ; 13 (359) : 1403-5
• Localization of vascular response to VEGF is not dependent on heparin binding. Springer ML, Banfi A, Ye J, von Degenfeld G, Kraft PE, Saini SA, Kapasi NK, Blau HM "FASEB J" 2007 ; 9 (21) : 2074-85
• Noggin suppression enhances in vitro osteogenesis and accelerates in vivo bone formation. Wan DC, Pomerantz JH, Brunet LJ, Kim JB, Chou YF, Wu BM, Harland R, Blau HM, Longaker MT "J Biol Chem" 2007 ; 36 (282) : 26450-9