The Physical Biology of Pluripotency and Differentiation
Kevin Chalut Kevin Chalut is a biophysicist with a PhD in Physics from Duke University, and is currently a Royal Society University Research Fellow (since 2011). His post-graduate background is in biotechnology and imaging, particularly with application to cancer detection and stem cell characterisation. He is currently a group leader both at the Cavendish Laboratory and the Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute.
The transformation of a stem cell system into mature tissue cells consists of a progression of highly regulated steps. Despite its importance both for bringing comprehension to the formation of the embryo and also for regenerative medicine purposes, the ways in which the process of differentiation are regulated – which have been primarily studied from a biochemical perspective – are not fully understood. We are particularly focused on illuminating differentiation and embryonic development by utilising optical, quantitative microscopy, and microfluidic techniques to probe biophysical aspects. These aspects include system level changes such as cell and nuclear mechanics, subcellular structure, and dynamic processes such as remodeling within cell nuclei. Using this foundation, we have observed broad biophysical changes in embryonic stem cells as they go through the process of differentiation; these changes include a modulation of nuclear substructure and mechanics, among others. Using the biotechnology we develop, we are investigating the meaning of these changes, both in stem cell cultures and in the embryo, and their universality in other developmental niches.
His work focuses on developing novel biotechnology to investigate physical states of cells such as mechanics and subcellular structure; in the last years he has focused almost exclusively on the biophysics of embryos and embryonic stem cells. The ultimate goal of his laboratory is to discover the physical mechanisms, and the importance of those mechanisms, to pluripotency, differentiation and reprogramming.
Funding
We investigate early embryonic development and embryonic stem cells in order to better understand the physical context in which pluripotency is established.
The Royal Society Group Members Cynthia Fisher George Wylde Sarra Achouri Andrew Hodgson Chris Revell Chibeza Agley Christophe Verstrecken
Postdoc researcher Graduate Student Postdoc researcher Graduate Student Graduate Student Postdoc researcher (Silva/Chalut) Graduate Student
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