Use of permeable proteins in defining cell fate in endogenous neural precursor stem cells

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Stem cells have the potential to give much insight to both tissue development as well as disease progression. Stem cells have been extensively researched in the context of tissue engineering because of their ability to differentiate into multiple cell lines. However, current methods employed to drive stem cells to specific cell lineages are both challenging and inefficient. Additionally, the source of cells is problematic because typically they have either significant ethical issues (e.g. fetal tissue) or use cells that are unable to stop replicating (e.g. inducible pluritpotent stem cells). Thus there is much interest in better defining and driving endogenous stem cells, without associated ethical or technical issues. This project joins the expertise of the Dr. Buttigieg research team as well as that of iProgen, a biotechnology company, to develop cell permeable transcription factors that can be utilized on endogenous stem cells and thus increase the efficiency of driving cells to particular fates. Two factors to be researched are SOX2 (neuron development) and Olig2 (oligodendroglial development). To date, there are no such permeable protein homologues available, nor are their effects known fully. For this pilot project, iProgen will engineer and produce SOX2 and Olig2 transcription factors. Dr. Buttigieg will then evaluate and characterize the effects of these proteins on endogenous stem cell behaviour. This project represents a first time collaboration between iProgen and the Buttigieg laboratory.