Research Areas

• Generation of transgene-free induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) using non-integrative approaches.
• Understanding the molecular mechanisms of cell reprogramming.
• Enhancing the efficiency and the kinetics of cell reprogramming.
• Generation of functional cardiomyocytes from either iPSCs or by direct reprogramming of somatic cells using integrative and non-integrative approaches.
• Generation of functional insulin producing β-cells from either iPSCs or by direct reprogramming of somatic cells using integrative and non-integrative approaches.
• Design and development of novel non-integrating vectors for iPSC generation.
• Investigating the role of core stem cell-specific transcription factors governing stem cell self-renewal, pluripotency and differentiation.
• Elucidating the epigenetic mechanisms governing stem cell self-renewal, pluripotency and differentiation.
• Identifying the crucial differences between normal stem cells vs cancer stem cells.
• Genome editing in pluripotent stem cells.
• Understanding stem cell heterogeneity.