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Scientific challenges
The scientific challenge of the NIRM program in health research and biomedical technology is to make fundamental contributions to the new strategies
for regenerative medicine by using novel genetic, stem cell and biomaterial approaches. Across the five tissue/disease research lines, the main technological
themes are focused around molecules, cells, microenvironment and tissues. The molecular challenges include the identification of gene networks and epigenetic
controls governing stem cell identity in the five tissues and their deregulation in disease. The increasing ability to purify stem cells and identify new
stem cells, allows for the precise programs on these stem cells to be realized. This is a prerequisite for the future small molecule manipulation of stem cells.
A challenge at the level of the stem cell is to comprehensively link signaling molecules and cascades of signaling pathways to cell fate decisions to produce
mature differentiated cells that will function in tissue repair and regeneration. The next challenge is to take these data and analyze them in the context of
the normal tissue microenvironment to yield possible targets (molecular or cellular) for future therapeutic intervention strategies in regenerative medicine.
This could involve the direct administration of small molecule stimulators of stem cell growth, differentiation or introduction of biomaterial or cell factories
that produce such molecules. Specific challenges for tissues with a defined structure include the use of scaffolds together with cells. As these challenges are
being met, further developments of diagnostic tools for purification/quality control of therapeutically relevant cells will be pursued in parallel.
