Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Title:  "Regeneration of Spinal Cord and Muscle in a Vertebrate" Speaker: Jonathan Slack, PhD Director, Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota Where:  Waisman Conference Center Room T216, Second Floor, North Tower About Dr. Slack's current research: Transdifferentiation Different cell types can sometimes be interconverted by introduction of genes for the appropriate transcription factors.  We are interested in possible therapeutic applications of this technique. Current projects are being conducted both in vitro and in vivo, using adenovirus to introduce the genes. Reprogramming of hepatocytes to pancreatic beta cells Reprogramming of biliary epithelium to pancreatic beta cells Cell lineage of ectopic endocrine cells Molecular mechanisms of Barretts oesophagus  Regeneration Some animals are able to regenerate missing parts.  Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of this could have important implications for human health.  We are presently studying the mechanisms of regeneration of the nervous system and the muscle in the Xenopus tadpole tail.   For Further Information: Contact Sue Gilbert at 265-8668 or GILBERT@Waisman.Wisc.Edu