Porcine blastocyst complementation utilizing human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is a potentially transformative approach that could generate whole organs, specific tissues, or discrete cell populations to be harvested for clinical use. Here we propose to utilize interspecies complementation by injecting hPSCs into porcine blastocysts engineered to lack specific endogenous tissues.  The main goal of this project is to generate human neural stem cells and their progeny utilizing this novel approach.

The primary goals of this project are to restore immune homeostasis that allows islet beta cell survival and regeneration as a cure for Type 1 diabetes (T1D). We have generated novel tetramer reagents and will use them to track and phenotype diabetes relevant T cells in T1D patients. These reagents will also be coupled to toxins and used to selectively kill self-reactive T cells and allow pancreatic islet beta cells to survive and regenerate.

Our goal is to establish that the use of a novel Mayo Clinic engineered peptide will serve as an innovative cell-free peptide therapeutic strategy for cardiac repair and regeneration in experimental permanent myocardial injury. Success will be defined as establishing in vitro and/or in vivo suppression of apoptosis, induction of angiogenesis and inhibition of fibrosis in the injured heart.  Success will lead to rapid acceleration to IND readiness so as to translate findings into future clinical trials and potentially patient use and commercialization.