EuroSTELLS Project: Translational Stem Cell Research: From Basic Biology to Regenerative Medicine

This project involves the joined forces of 13 research groups from 6 countries with common interests and complementary competence in developmental biology, stem cell biology and regenerative medicine and cancer biology. The consortium aims at elucidating the mechanisms that control self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells in their natural environment. The Krauss group will study the involvement of cellular signals in defining and maintaining stemness in neural stem cells. New methods including advan ced in vitro cultures of cells and tissues as well as genetic manipulations will be developed for our studies. This multidisciplinary effort will be necessary for a better understanding of the basic biology of stem cells as a prerequisite for their therap eutic use in the future. Finally, the gained knowledge on pathways involved in stem cell maintenance and differentiation will be used to create defined reporter cel l lines for drug screening programs. Within these objectives an integrated network will be established to create a critical mass and a stable framework for scientific interaction. The coordinated thematic platforms will allow us to build knowledge that can be translated into stem cell therap eutics. Research training will be supported within the EuroSTELLS network by stimulating mobility and offering possibilities for the graduate and postdoctoral students to visit other participating labs, and by organising training courses in different form ats in various fields of stem cell research.