Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation Laboratory

Group Leaders: Professors: Andrew Elefanty and Ed Stanley

Telephone: +61 3 99050650 (Office) Facsimile: +61 3 99050680 Email: Andrew.Elefanty@monash.edu

Telephone: +61 3 99050651 (Office) Facsimile: +61 3 99050680 Email: Ed.Stanley@monash.edu

Postal Address

Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation Laboratory
Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories
Level 3, Building 75, STRIP 1
West Ring Road Monash University
Clayton, Victoria 3800

Image Gallery

Current laboratory members

Research Fellows

Dr Magdaline Costa
Dr David Elliott
Ms Tanya Hatzistavrou
Dr Claire Hirst 
Dr Andrew Holland
Dr Suzanne Micallef
Ms Elizabeth Ng

Research Assistants

Ms Lisa Azzola
Ms Sonia Holland
Ms Robyn Mayberry
Ms Koula Sourris
Ms Kathy Koutsis

PhD students

Ms Julie Cao
Ms Jennifer Durnall
Mr Rob Jenny
Ms Elizabeth Ng (part time)
Ms Jacqueline Schiesser
Ms Chew-Li Soh
Ms Cissy Yu

Honours students

Ms Freya Bruveris

Research Overview

Research in the laboratory that jointly headed by Prof. Andrew Elefanty and Prof. Ed Stanley is focused on the biology and manipulation of human embryonic stem (ES) cells. Our major interest is in the regulation of ES cell differentiation to mesendodermal precursors (corresponding to the primitive streak in the mammalian embryo) and then to mesodermal and endodermal lineages, as exemplified by blood, heart and endothelium and pancreatic islet cells, respectively.

In order to facilitate this process, we are generating genetically modified human ES cell lines into which reporter genes have been inserted by homologous recombination in gene loci that are expressed at specific developmental stages or in specific lineages.
For example, mesendodermal precursors are identified by the expression of a homeobox gene, MIXL1, that we cloned a few years ago. Our laboratory has generated human ES cells that carry GFP reporter genes inserted by homologous recombination into the MIXL1 locus that fluoresce when this gene is transiently expressed during differentiation. These cell lines, and additional lines tagged at other gene loci relevant to blood, heart and pancreatic lineages, are proving to be valuable tools for the dissection of differentiation pathways towards mesoderm and endoderm in vitro.

A major goal of our work is to realise some of the scientific and therapeutic potential that human ES cells promise. These include unique opportunities for the study of early stages of human development, the generation of in vitro models for human diseases, testing of pharmaceuticals and other therapeutic products and the production of transplantable cells for tissue repair and regeneration.

Recent Publications

Goulburn AL, Alden D, Davis RP, Micallef SJ, Ng ES, Yu QC, Lim SM, Soh CL, Elliott DA, Hatzistavrou T, Bourke J, Watmuff B, Lang RJ, Haynes JM, Pouton CW, Giudice A, Trounson AO, Anderson SA, Stanley EG, Elefanty AG. (2011) A targeted NKX2.1 human embryonic stem cell reporter line enables identification of human basal forebrain derivatives. Stem Cells. 29(3):462-73

Nostro MC, Sarangi F, Ogawa S, Holtzinger A, Corneo B, Li X, Micallef SJ, Park IH, Basford C, Wheeler MB, Daley GQ, Elefanty AG, Stanley EG, Keller G. (2011) Stage-specific signaling through TGFb family members and WNT regulates patterning and pancreatic specification of human pluripotent stem cells. Development. 138(5):861-71

Elefanty AG and Stanley EG. (2010) Defined substrated for pluripotent stem cells: are we there yet? Nat Methods. 7(12):967-8

Elefanty AG, Blelloch R, Passegue E, Wernig M, Mummery CL. (2010) On the streets of San Francisco: highlights from the ISSCR Annual Meeting 2010. Cell Stem Cell. 7(4):443-50

Hirst CE, Lim SE, Pereira LA, Mayberry RA, Stanley EG, Elefanty AG. (2010) Expression from a betageo gene trap in the Slain1 gene locus is predominantly associated with the developing nervous system. Int J Dev Biol. 54(8-9):1383-8

Jackons SA, Schiesser J, Stanley EG, Elefanty AG. (2010) Differentiating embryonic stem cells pass through ‘temporal windows' that mark responsiveness to exogenous and paracrine mesendoderm inducing signals. PLoS One. 5(5):e10706

Heraud P, Ng ES, Caine S, Yu QC, Hirst C, Mayberry R, Bruce A, Wood BR, McNaughton D, Stanley EG, Elefanty AG. (2010) Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy identifies early lineage commitment in differentiating human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cell Res. 4(2):140-7

Lim SM, Pereira L, Wong MS, Hirst CE, Van Vranken BE, Pick M, Trounson A, Elefanty AG and Stanley EG. Enforced expression of Mixl1 during mouse ES cell differentiation suppresses hematopoietic mesoderm and promotes endoderm formation. Stem Cells, 27, 363-374, 2009.

Holland AM, Elefanty AG and Stanley EG. Pancreatic differentiation from pluripotent stem cells: tweaking the system. Cell Research 19:395-6, 2009.

Hatzistavrou T, Micallef SJ, Ng ES, Vadolas J, Stanley EG and Elefanty AG. ErythRED, a hESC line enabling easy identification of erythroid cells, Nature Methods 6, 659 - 662, 2009.

Davis RP, Grandela C, Dottori M, Hatzistavrou T, Sourris K, Elefanty AG, Stanley EG and Costa M. Generation of human embryonic stem cell reporter knock-in lines by homologous recombination. Curr Protoc Stem Cell Biol, 2009. In press.

Elefanty AG and Stanley EG. Reshaping pluripotent stem cells. Nature Biotechnology 27, 823-824, 2009.

Research Support

National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
Australian Stem Cell Centre (an ARC centre of Excellence)
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
The National Heart Foundation of Australia
The Victoria-California Stem Cell Alliance