The Life of a Stem Cell: from Young to Old

By Prof Tom Cheung

Division of Life Science

Date:	22 Nov 2016

Time:	12:30 pm - 2 pm (Lunch included)

Venue:	HKUST Business School Central 15/F, Hong Kong Club Building 3A Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong

Remarks:	Registration starts one month before the talk.

Enquires:	Miss Fanny Yue 2358 5019 / science.for.lunch@ust.hk

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There is no doubt that aging populations present one of the biggest challenges in today’s world. Better understanding of the process of biological ageing is key to improving health and longevity in modern society. Human tissue has various levels of regenerative potential; tissue such as the adult heart and the central nervous system have very little power to regenerate, while skeletal muscle and skin have a remarkable ability to regenerate following injury. Research at HKUST is focusing on somatic stem cell biology and the signaling pathways involved in tissue regeneration as well as stem cell ageing. This talk examines how stem cells repair tissue in normal circumstances as well as during organismal ageing, particularly focusing on stem cell-mediated repairs.

Prof Tom Cheung
Division of Life Science

Prof Tom Cheung received his BA (2001) and PhD (2006) in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder, after which he continued his training at Stanford University School of Medicine. He joined the Division of Life Science at HKUST in 2013. He is a member of the Center for Stem Cell Research, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Center for Systems Biology and Human Health and an affiliated member of the Division of Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Graduate Program at HKUST.

Somatic stem cell biology is the key area of research interest at HKUST’s Cheung laboratory; the focus is to specify molecular pathways that control stem cell quiescence and stem cell-mediated tissue regeneration to achieve a better understanding of somatic stem cell function in the context of tissue regeneration and diseases. The long-term goal is to understand molecular pathways essential for stem cell function during the process of biological ageing.

Prof Cheung is a recipient of the Croucher Innovation Award in 2015 for the study of “Molecular regulation of stem cell ageing”. His research has been published in Nature, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, Cell Stem Cell, Cell reports, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and others.

Lab website : http://cheunglab.ust.hk