Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral research fellow

Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006.

Lab
James Sherley

Research Interests
Ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is a long-standing challenge faced by both researchers and clinicians. No robust, efficient method for the pure, ex vivo expansion of human HSCs has been demonstrated to date. Previous efforts primarily induced the expansion of committed progenitor cells, yielding even less pure populations of HSCs. We have proposed that, like for other adult stem cells (ASCs), the major barrier to expanding HSCs ex vivo is in preferentially regulating the asymmetric self-renewal of HSCs without loss of their ability to produce differentiated committed progenitor cells. My research has focused on a suppression of asymmetric cell kinetic (SACK) method to achieve symmetric expansion of human HSC populations. Currently, I am conducting pre-clinical trials in non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice to provide evidence for SACK expansion effects on human HSC engraftment activity. Elucidation and manipulation of pathways that promote ex vivo expansion of human HSCs will play an important role in future efforts to develop improved therapies for hematopoietic disorders and malignancies.

Recent Publications:

Contact Info
email: rouzbeh@bbri.org, tel. 617-658-7888