The Palecek Laboratory
Faculty > Sean P. Palecek
Sean P. Palecek
Associate Professor, Chemical & Biological Engineering; Biomedical Engineering
palecek@engr.wisc.edu
Organ System/Disease Focus
None
Aligned Research Focus
Embryonic stem cell mechanotransduction, embryonic stem cell self-renewal, design of culture and cryopreservation systems
Research Description
Our lab studies how mechanical forces and cell-cell contact integrate with soluble factor and matrix signaling to regulate human embryonic stem cell (hESC) self-renewal and differentiation fate choices.
We design culture systems to apply uniform levels of desired mechanical strain to homogeneous colonies and assess effects on cellular signaling and the associated phenotypes. Current systems of interest include epithelial and cardiac differentiation.
We also use this information to design protocols for scaling up cultures of self-renewing hESCs and to develop methods that improve the yield of undifferentiated hESCs following cryopreservation.
Selected References
Metallo CM, Mohr JC, Van Wie BJ, Palecek SP. Engineering the stem cell microenvironment. Biotechnol. Prog. 23:18-23. 2007.
Ji L, Allen-Hoffmann BL, de Pablo JJ, Palecek SP. Generation and differentiation of human embryonic stem cell derived keratinocyte precursors. Tissue Engineering. 12:665-679. 2006.
Saha S, Ji L, de Pablo JJ, Palecek SP. Mechanical inhibition of human embryonic stem cell differentiation. J. Cell. Physiol. 206:126-137. 2006.
Lockwood NA, Mohr JC, Ji L, Murphy CJ, Palecek SP, de Pablo JJ, Abbott, NA. Thermotropic liquid crystals as substrates for imaging the reorganization of matrigel by human embryonic stem cells. Adv. Funct. Mater. 16:618-624. 2006.
Ji L, de Pablo JJ, Palecek SP. Cryopreservation of adherent human embryonic stem cells. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 88:299-312. 2004.