Chromatin structure and cellular identity The ability to convert any human cell to other specialised cell types of the body will allow the regeneration of tissues and organs as well as develop personalised therapies. It is now possible to reprogram biopsied human cells to become induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are very similar to embryonic stem (ES) cells. These cells are pluripotent and can potentially give rise to all cell types of the body. However, this cellular reprogramming method is highly inefficient and relies on the genetic manipulation of factors that have been associated with tumours. We aim to design reprogramming factors that are efficient and safe to use in the clinic. Dr Abdenour Soufi Group Leader Contact details Website: Personal Profile Work: 0131 651 9500 Email: Abdenour.Soufi@ed.ac.uk Group Members Abdenour Soufi (right) and his research group Marta Hanzevacki, PhD StudentSamuel Skoda, PhD StudentKatharine Furlong, Research Fellow Aims and areas of interest Our ultimate goal is to design synthetic factors that can convert any cell in the body to a specific cell type of interest. We aim to learn from how the naturally occurring reprogramming factors interact with the genome and other molecules in the cell to change cell types.We are particularly interested in how the reprogramming factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) convert fibroblasts to iPS cells. We found that the OSKM factors interact with genome in fibroblasts differently from that in ES cells. We also found that OSKM are initially blocked from accessing large chunks of the fibroblast genome, which are needed for complete reprogramming. Based on these abilities and limitations of the OSKM factors, we are currently establishing new approaches to produce custom-made reprogramming factors in the lab. Publications Publications Funders CRUKEPSRCCarnegie TrustDarwin Trust of Edinburgh Collaborators Professor Steve Pollard, University of EdinburghProfessor Ian Chambers, University of EdinburghProfessor Keisuke Kaji, University of EdinburghProfessor Sally Lowell, University of EdinburghDr Willem Vanderlinden, University of EdinburghProfessor Nick Gilbert, University of EdinburghProfessor Susan Rosser, The Edinburgh Mammalian Synthetic Biology Research CentreProfessor Yossef Buganim, The Hebrew University of JerusalemProfessor Ralf Jauch, Hong Kong UniversityDr Vlad Teif, University of EssexProfessor Arthur I. Skoultchi, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USADr Jungsun Kim, Oregon Health & Science University, USA This article was published on 2024-02-26