Towards an understanding of induced cellular plasticity

Converting one human cell into another (reprogramming) has vast potential for treating chronic degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, and type II diabetes. Through reprogramming, cells can theoretically be generated for replacement of lost tissue. However, the discovery rate of the reprogramming recipe for each conversion has been very slow. Thus, we co-developed a computational tool, Mogrify, which accurately predicts the recipe needed for any human-to-human cellular conversions. We also delved into understanding the molecular machinery underlying how one cell-type, like a skin cell, can be converted, ie. become plastic, into a new cell-type, like a nerve cell, without using stem cells.