The Denver Network of the NHLBI Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application proposes to establish the Denver Network of the NHLBI Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium. The timing of this RFA coincides perfectly with new a multi-institutional stem cell initiative in Denver. A new Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology Program (RMSCBP) was established at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) in 2007, which has resulted in the recruitment of 7 new faculty whose research efforts focus on stem cell biology. In concert with this initiative, National Jewish Health (NJH) recruited two outstanding lung stem cell biologists. These new recruits have joined 24 existing faculty to form a multi-institutional, comprehensive stem cell program consisting of over 30 primary members who have access to state-of-the-art Core Facilities at discounted rates (http://www.uchsc.edu/stemcell/). The projects proposed in this application are excellent examples of existing collaborations that were initiated within the last year as a result of these new stem cell initiatives. Specifically, this application proposes to utilize the existing expertise within the Denver Network in the areas of hematopoietic and skin stem cell biology to generate improved reagents to identify and characterize lung and vascular progenitor cell lineages. In addition, to facilitate the development of new methods for isolating lung and vascular stem and progenitor cells, and for directing the differentiation of these cells to desired cell fates, we propose to establish new Core Facilities which utilize novel technologies developed by members of the Denver Network. Finally, the therapeutic potential of conditionally immortalized long-term hematopoietic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which will be generated by novel non-viral methods, will be explored for the treatment of hematological and lung disorders. The translational and clinical aspects of this application, as well as the proposed mentoring and training program, will be greatly facilitated by the Colorado Clinical Translational Science Institute (CCTSI). The clinical and translation sciences, research, and training at UCD and its six Affiliates, which includes NJH, were recently successfully integrated into the CCTSI following the receipt of a CTSA award of $76 million.