Developmental and regenerative biology and medicine
This is an important theme spanning many departments and research institutes.
Developmental biologists study the mechanisms by which a single cell, the fertilised egg, develops into a complex multicellular organism with a diversity of cell types precisely organised in time and space. Research includes the analysis of processes such as the acquisition of cell polarity, morphogenesis, the cell cycle, asymmetric cell division, intercellular signalling, intracellular signal transduction, transcriptional regulation and epigenetics.
Of necessity, developmental biologists make use of a wide range of techniques, involving molecular biology, cell biology, imaging, biochemistry, structural biology, genomics, bioinformatics, evolutionary studies and physiology. They also take particular advantage of the fact that developmental mechanisms are highly conserved between species, and different groups work on organisms as diverse as Arabidopsis, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila, Xenopus, zebrafish, chick, mouse and humans to study problems as wide-ranging as specification of the germline, the identification of cytoplasmic determinants and the transcriptional networks involved in construction of the brain. The great increase in genome sequence information has greatly expedited comparisons between these species and has encouraged researchers to ask whether conclusions derived from one organism also apply to another. This offers the opportunity for many collaborative interactions.
Stem cell biology is a major and growing theme in Cambridge. The Cambridge Stem Cell Initiative encompasses some 30 research groups across Cambridge with two primary hubs, the Centre for Stem Cell Research and the Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine. The Stem Cell Initiative interlinks basic and translational research, providing strategic direction, core technology platforms and resources, and a specialised PhD training programme. Fundamental investigations centre on molecular mechanisms governing self- renewal, commitment, differentiation, reprogramming and potency, in both embryonic and tissue stem cells. These studies extend naturally into issues of tissue homeostasis, dysregulation, aging, degeneration and repair. There is also increasing interest and expertise in using patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells for human disease modelling, investigation of molecular pathogenesis, and compound screening. Pre-clinical and clinical studies include approaches both to stimulate regeneration by endogenous stem cells and to replace lost cells by transplantation. In addition studies in leukaemia have revitalised the concept that some forms of cancer may be maintained by malignant stem cells. Research continues to characterise such “cancer stem cells” and determining whether they can be targeted for therapeutic benefit.
Stem cell biology interfaces with research in cancer, cardiovascular science, developmental biology, immunology, neuroscience, functional genomics, and molecular and structural biology, and shares many approaches in common. Specialist techniques for stem cell research include stem cell culture, advanced flow cytometry, in vitro and in vivo cell tracking, transplantation, and of particular importance, mouse and rat transgenesis. Computational modelling is increasingly incorporated and interactions are being developed with the physical sciences. The Stem Cell Initiative also benefits from multiple collaborations with groups at EBI and the Sanger Institute. The emerging interest in regenerative medicine from the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry is a new opportunity.