Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine and the Department of Developmental Biology

The Loh Laboratory employs stem cells to reconstitute and understand human developmental biology. By applying our knowledge of development, we intend to generate pure populations of desired human tissue progenitors and create a platform for stem cell-driven regenerative medicine.

Embryonic stem cells have been touted for their therapeutic value for years, but their potential for regenerative medicine has yet to be fully realized. To the present day, there have been difficulties in precisely guiding embryonic stem cells to differentiate into desired human cell-types in a dish.

To meet this challenge, we have delineated a comprehensive roadmap that describes how embryonic stem cells can develop into a broad spectrum of different human cell-types through a sequence of pairwise lineage choices. This roadmap has enabled the production of nearly-pure populations of human tissue progenitors, providing new opportunities for regenerative medicine and to interrogate early human tissue development. As for the latter, we are interested in understanding the molecular basis of multilineage competence and defining stepwise molecular changes during cell-fate transitions.

NEWS

Culturing human skin cells to study skin cancer

 OCT 26 2021 | MOLECULAR CELL

We developed new methods to culture human skin cells, thereby aiding a collaboration led by Chiung-Ying Chang and Gerald Crabtree to explore the role of the ACTL6A (BAF53A) oncogene in healthy skin cells as well as squamous cell carcinomas. 

Support from Gates Foundation

SEP 9 2021 | GATES FOUNDATION

The Loh Laboratory has received new support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells. 

Support from DARPA

MAY 20 2021 | DARPA PREPARE

The Loh Laboratory received a subaward from the DARPA PREPARE program led by Jonathan Weissman, Luke Gilbert, and others.

Generating human primordial germ cells

FEB 5 2021 | RESEARCH SQUARE PREPRINT

In collaboration with Vittorio Sebastiano's lab, we generate human primordial germ cells (PGCs) from pluripotent stem cells in monolayer culture. This revealed unique intermediates, cell-surface markers and extracellular signals for PGC specification. 

Additional Ventures support for single ventricle heart disease research

AUG 3 2020 | ADDITIONAL VENTURES

The Loh and Rabinovitch laboratories received new support from Additional Ventures and the Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute to study single-ventricle heart disease, using pluripotent stem cell technology.

Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute support

AUG 3 2020 | STANFORD MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The Loh, Ang, Red-Horse and Rabinovitch laboratories received new support from the Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute's Chambers Family Foundation Innovation Grant to study congenital malformations as part of a Transdisciplinary Initiatives Program, using pluripotent stem cells.

Improving safety of human pluripotent stem cell therapies

JUN 1 2020 | NATURE COMMUNICATIONS

Safety is a key consideration of any cell therapy, as transplanted cells may form tumors or mis-differentiate in vivo. With Matt Porteus's lab, we developed kill-switch systems to kill undifferentiated human pluripotent stem cells (with or without their differentiated progeny) with specific drugs.

Carolyn Dundes awarded Ford Foundation Ph.D. fellowship

MAY 29 2020 | FORD FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIPS

Graduate student Carolyn Dundes was awarded the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, which seeks to "increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students".

News & Views article on a new type of pluripotency

MAY 10 2020 | NATURE CELL BIOLOGY

In Nature Cell Biology, we discuss the advent of a new type of pluripotency that is a developmental intermediate between naive and primed pluripotent states. This discovery raises exciting questions about how we classify discrete cell states within the continuum of cellular differentiation.

Differentiating human pluripotent stem cells using spatial gradients of extracellular signals

FEB 20 2020 | JOURNAL OF VACUUM SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY A

Tissue engineering aspires to generate spatially-patterned tissues in vitro. With Alex Dunn's lab, we differentiated human pluripotent stem cells using spatial gradients of extracellular signals, thus creating spatially-patterned cultures whereby primitive streak cells were localized to one side of the culture.

Review article on pluripotent stem cell differentiation

NOV 27 2019 | WIRES DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

In WIREs Developmental Biology, we discuss many challenges in differentiating human pluripotent stem cells into desired cell-types or organoids. These include uncertain lineage intermediates and temporal dynamics of signals, and transcription factor- or organoid-based strategies.

Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering

OCT 15 2019 | PACKARD FELLOWSHIP

Kyle Loh was recently selected as a Packard Fellow by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. 22 junior faculty across physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science, and all branches of engineering were selected after a national competition. 

JDRF Center of Excellence

OCT 7 2019 | JDRF

The Loh Laboratory is part of the newly-established Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Northern California Center of Excellence, which seeks to use human pluripotent stem cells to understand and treat Type 1 Diabetes.

Pew Scholar

JUN 14 2019 | PEW SCHOLAR

Kyle Loh was recently selected as a Pew Scholar by The Pew Charitable Trusts. 22 junior faculty were selected after a national competition, with each institution eligible to nominate a single individual. 

Safely depleting a mouse's immune system using antibodies

JUN 13 2019 | CELL STEM CELL

Can we safely replace a blood and immune system with a new one? A collaboration led by Benson George, Irv Weissman and Judy Shizuru found that six antibodies could safely deplete a mouse's immune system in 8 days, enabling replacement with a 100% immune-mismatched blood and immune system.

Expanding mouse hematopoietic stem cells in vitro

MAY 29 2019 | NATURE

A longstanding goal of regenerative medicine has been to expand hematopoietic stem cells in vitro. A collaboration led by Adam Wilkinson, Hiro Nakauchi and Satoshi Yamazaki developed a defined culture medium that can accomplish this goal for several weeks. 

Jonas Fowler named a Stanford Bio-X Honorary Ph.D. Fellow

MAY 21 2019 | STANFORD BIO-X PH.D. FELLOWS

Graduate student Jonas Fowler was named as a Stanford Bio-X Honorary Ph.D. Fellow.

Jonas Fowler awarded NSF Ph.D. fellowship

APR 9 2019 | NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

Graduate student Jonas Fowler was awarded the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship.

Jonas Fowler awarded NDSEG Ph.D. fellowship

APR 5 2019 | NATIONAL DEFENSE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Graduate student Jonas Fowler was awarded the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Ph.D. Fellowship. 

MAR 28 2019 | HUMAN FRONTIER SCIENCE PROGRAM

The laboratory was recently awarded a Human Frontier Science Program Young Investigator Grant, together with Christine Cheung. 9 teams were selected in 2019 after an international competition.

New California Institute for Regenerative Medicine support

OCT 19 2018 | CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

In collaboration with Philip Beachy, Joseph Liao and Lay Teng Ang, the laboratory was recently awarded a CIRM Discovery grant to generate human bladder progenitors from pluripotent stem cells.

Carolyn Dundes awarded Stanford Graduate Fellowship

JUN 1 2018 | STANFORD GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP

Graduate student Carolyn Dundes was awarded the Stanford Graduate Fellowship.

Generating human liver precursors from embryonic stem cells

FEB 20 2018 | CELL REPORTS

Together with Lay Teng Ang and colleagues, we mapped how human liver cells develop through six consecutive steps. Human embryonic stem cell-derived liver cells could regenerate human liver cells in a mouse model of liver failure and improve survival.  

Support from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

DEC 14 2017 | CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

In collaboration with Lay Teng Ang and Irv Weissman, the laboratory was recently awarded a CIRM Discovery grant to generate human liver progenitors from pluripotent stem cells.

Expanding multipotent lung progenitors in vitro

NOV 6 2017 | NATURE METHODS

During embryonic lung development, Sox9+ lung progenitors generate both major parts of the lung (airways and alveoli). Together with Massimo Nichane and colleagues, we developed a method to expand Sox9+ lung progenitors in vitro.

Live imaging of differentiating human embryonic stem cells

OCT 10 2017 | CELL REPORTS

How do stem cells divide and differentiate? Using live imaging, together with Kate Brown and Roel Nusse, we found that incipiently-differentiating human embryonic stem cells tend to divide to generate daughter cells which adopt asymmetric lineage outcomes.

Support from the NIH Early Independence Award

OCT 5 2017 | NIH HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD RESEARCH PROGRAM

The laboratory was recently awarded the NIH Director's Early Independence Award, under the High Risk, High Reward Research Program.