The goal of the Lian Lab is to apply stem cell differentiation and genome editing techniques to convert human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into functional somatic cells, aiming to treat or even cure Type 1 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and autoimmune diseases.
PhD:
University of Wisconsin-Madison (2012)
Chemical and Biological Engineering
PostDoc:
Harvard University (2013)
Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Karolinska Institute (2015)
Cell and Molecular Biology
Lauren Randolph
PhD Student
lauren.n.randolph@gmail.com
Yuqian Jiang
PhD Student
jzy12@psu.edu
Lauren Randolph Lauren is a fourth year PhD student focusing on genetically engineering human stem cells and their derivative cell types for therapeutic application. Specifically she is working on developing a universal donor stem cell line as well as engineering hPSC derived cardiomyocytes to improve therapeutic applicability. She is also studing the developmental cues regulating early hematopoietic specification. In her free time, Lauren likes to practice her culinary skills, dance, read, and travel.
Yuqian Jiang Yuqian is a third year PhD student focusing on pancreatic beta cell differentiation. She is using a variety of approaches to obtain efficient yields of human beta cells from hPSCs for diabetes therapy. She is also working on understanding cardiac muscle development by identifying early progenitor markers. In her spare time, Yuqian likes to draw and cook.
Undergraduate Students
Alumni
Visiting Scholars
Undergraudate Students
Michael Oddo (16-17 Schreyer Honors College) | Cathy Lu (16-17) | Brandon Kotlyarsky (16-17) | Ramisa Fariha (16-17) | Yian Khai Lau (16-17) | Qi Lin (16-17) | Rachel Lee (17-18) | Tamara Brown (2017 REU)
We are implementing a variety of techniques, including small molecule mediated hPSC differentiation and CRISPR-Cas9 reprogramming, to efficiently generate cells of the cardiac lineages for regenerative medicine and therapeutic development.
Xiaoping Bao, Xiaojun Lian, Tongcheng Qian, Vijesh J. Bhute, Tianxiao Han, Sean P. Palecek. Directed differentiation and long-term maintenance of epicardial cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells under fully defined conditions, Nature Protocols (2017) Sep;12(9):1890-1900. doi: 10.1038/nprot.2017.080.
Jiang, Y. et al. An ultrasensitive calcium reporter system via CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome editing in human pluripotent stem cells. ISCIENCE 9, 27–35 (2018)
Bao X, Lian X, Hacker TA, Schmuck EG, Qian T, Bhute VJ, Han T, Shi M, Drowley L, Plowright A, Wang QD, Goumans MJ, Palecek SP. Long-term self-renewing human epicardial cells generated from pluripotent stem cells under defined xeno-free conditions, Nature Biomedical Engineering 1, 0003 (2016)
Lian X, Bao X, Zilberter M, et al. “Chemically defined, albumin-free human cardiomyocyte generation”, Nature Methods 12, 595–596 (2015)
Primary Project Contributors
Lauren Randolph
Yuqian Jiang
Based on beta cell development in the pancreas, our lab is using both directed differentiation and genetic reprogramming techniques to generate functional beta cells from human embryonic stem cells for diabetes therapy.
Lauren Nicole Randolph, Agamoni Bhattacharyya and Xiaojun Lance Lian, 2018, "Human Beta Cells Generated from Pluripotent Stem Cells or Cellular Reprogramming for Curing Diabetes", Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine
Primary Project Contributors
Yuqian Jiang
Our lab is working to develop universal donor cells for cardiac transplantation medicine applications and creating new molecular biology tools to enable this work.
Lauren Randolph, Xiaoping Bao, Chikai Zhou, Xiaojun Lian. An all-in-one, Tet-On 3G inducible PiggyBac system for human pluripotent stem cells and derivatives, Scientific Reports 7 (2017), Article number: 1549 doi:10.1038/s41598-017-01684-6
Primary Project Contributors
Lauren Randolph
August, 2015
September 1, 2015
September 1, 2016
October 21, 2016
February, 2017
May 8, 2017
February, 2018
April 4, 2018
May 3, 2018
September 1, 2018
November 30, 2018
Lauren teaches local high school students about stem cells and CRISPR/Cas9.
Agamoni answers questions from high school students about plasmid cloning.
Agamoni demonstrates measuring DNA purity.
Agamoni talks to high school students about molecular biology.
Agamoni shows our flow cytometer to high school students.
High school student observes beating heart muscle under the microscope.
Dr. Lian gives a lab tour to first year BME undergrads.
Dr. Lian answers questions about cell culture practices in the lab.Thank you to the following foundations for their support:
NIH NIBIB Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators
Penn State ENGineering for Innovation and ENtrepreneurship (ENGINE) Grant
Penn State College of Engineering Multidisciplinary Research Seed Grant
Penn State Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences Seed Grant
Penn State Lab Startup Grant
W342 Millenium Science Complex
University Park, PA 16802
Email: lian@psu.edu
Phone: (814) 865-8093
