Principal Investigator George Daley
Project Website http://daley.med.harvard.edu/Daley_Lab_Pluripotency.htm
Pluripotency is a term describing a cell's ability to form derivatives of all three embryonic germ layers: ectoderm (including nerves and skin), mesoderm (such as blood, bone, heart, and muscle), and endoderm (gut, lung, and liver for example). There are several different types of pluripotent stem cells that differ in terms of the sources from whence they are derived as well as their ultimate biological functionality. These types of pluripotent stem cells include: embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells which are derived from germ cell-related tumors including teratocarcinomas, embryonic stem (ES) cells which are derived from the pre-implantation embryo, embryonic germ (EG) cells which are derived from primordial germ cells, and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells which are created via a process of direct reprogramming from somatic cells.
Understanding the genetic and environmental factors controlling pluripotency sheds incredible light on the basics of development not to mention defining sources for therapeutically useful cells and tissues. Additionally, the pathways controlling pluripotency in normal cells may become perturbed in certain abnormal biological conditions including germ cell-related tumors of the testes, ovary, and those occuring in other anatomical locations.