Abstract:
Unravelling stem cell fate plasticity is significant for understanding pathophysiology and exploring new therapeutic targets. The Cre-loxP genetic system is commonly used for cell lineage tracing. However, this conventional approach has limitations that have led to controversies in multiple fields. In recent years, there has been growing interest in a dual genetic approach based on Cre-loxP and another orthogonal recombinase. The dual genetic approach permits cell tracking at a significantly higher resolution and enables a more precise method for gene manipulation and cell fate control. Some examples will be shown to demonstrate how the application of these approaches advances our understanding of stem cell fate plasticity for tissue repair and regeneration.

Biography:
Dr. Bin Zhou obtained his Bachelor degree from Zhejiang University School of Medicine in 2002, and received Ph.D. degree from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in 2006. From 2006-2010, Dr. Zhou had postdoctoral training with Dr. William Pu at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In 2010, Dr. Zhou became professor and group leader in Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science. The major goal of his lab is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular development, diseases and regeneration. His lab develops more precise genetic lineage tracing and gene targeting technology by dual recombinases to better understand the origin and fate of cardiovascular cells in development, diseases and tissue regeneration.