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Wells Lab

Overview

About the Wells Lab

Jim Wells
Jim Wells, PhD
Phone 513-636-8767
Email james.wells@cchmc.org
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Meet the people doing research in the Wells lab.

We study the molecular mechanisms underlying endoderm organ development in mouse and chick. Why study endoderm development? The genes and signaling mechanisms that we identify in our embryonic studies are being used to promote the differentiation of embryonic and adult stem cells into therapeutically important cell types such as insulin producing beta cells. Stem cells are a promising renewable source of cells for transplantation to treat human diseases like Type 1 diabetes.

Research in the Wells Lab:

1. Embryonic Development of Endoderm and Pancreas. We investigate the molecular mechanisms that endoderm patterning along anterior-posterior (A-P) axis of the embryo and development of endodermally derived organs including the pancreas.stem cells (ESCs) into therapeutically important cell types. In particular we are interested in deriving pancreatic beta cells from ES cells.
2. Homeostasis, regeneration, and cancer of the adult endoderm organs including the pancreas and intestines. We are interested in how embryological pathways are utilized to maintain cellular homeostasis in adult organs under physiological and pathological conditions like Type 1 Diabetes and cancer. HESCDE-Sox-fox-T2
3. Embryonic stem cells. The goal of this research is to translate information from embryonic studies to promote the differentiation of pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into therapeutically important cell types. In particular we are interested in deriving pancreatic beta cells from ES cells.sox17-triple-copy