Robert Blelloch, MD, PhD
UCSF
Urology, Box 0525
35 Medical Center Way
San Francisco, CA 94143
United States
Institute of Regeneration Medicine
Molecular basis of stem cell self-renewal, differentiation and contribution to cancer Stem cells have the amazing ability to self-renew and differentiate into a variety of adult tissues. Embryonic stem cells can produce an entire embryo while adult stem cells have a more limited development potential. My lab is interested the molecular basis of stem cell potential. We are studying global regulators of stem cell differentiation, which are responsible for silencing the stem cell program as cells mature into adult tissues. We are also studying how these mechanisms go awry during tumorigenesis. Finally, we plan to manipulate these factors in order to de-differentiate adult cells back into embryonic stem cells.
- Wang Y, Medvid R, Melton C, Jaenisch R, Blelloch R. DGCR8 is Essential for MicroRNA Biogenesis an Efficient Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation. Nature Genetics, 2007: 39:380-5. Epub 2007 Jan 28.
- Babiarz J, Ruby G, Wang Y, Bartel D, Blelloch R. Mouse ES Cells Express Endogenous shRNAs, siRNAs, and Other Microprocessor-independent, Dicer-dependent Small RNAs. Genes and Development, 2008: 22:2773-85.
- Wang Y, Baskerville S, Shenoy A, Babiarz JE, Baehner L, Blelloch R. Embryonic Stem Cell Specific MicroRNAs Regulate the G1/S Transition and Promote Rapid Proliferation. Nature Genetics, 2008: 40:1478-83. Epub Nov 2. 2008
- Judson RL, Babiarz JE, Venere M, Blelloch R. Embryonic stem cell-specific microRNAs promote induced pluripotency. Nature Biotechnology, 2009: 27:459-61 Epub April, 12, 2009.
- Melton C, Judson R, Blelloch R. Opposing microRNA families regulate self-renewal in mouse embryonic stem cells. Nature, 2010, 463: 621-6. Epub 2010 Jan 6
- Suh N, Baehner L, Moltzhan F, Melton C, Shenoy A, Chen, Blelloch R. MicroRNA function is globally suppressed in mouse oocytes and early embryos. Current Biology, 2010, 20: 271-277. Epub 2010 Jan 28.
- Subramanyam D, Belair CD, Barry-Holson KQ, Lin H, Kogan SC, Passegue, E, Blelloch R. PML-RARα and Dnmt3a1 cooperate in vivo to promote acute promyelocytic leukemia. Cancer Res. 2010, 70: 8792-801. Epub 2010 Sep 21
- Moltzahn F, Olshen AB, Baehner L, Peek A, Fong L, Stöppler H, Simko J, Hilton JF, Carroll P, Blelloch R. Microfluidic-based multiplex qRT-PCR identifies diagnostic and prognostic microRNA signatures in the sera of prostate cancer patients. Cancer Res. 2011, 71:550-60. Epub 2010 Nov 22
- Subramanyam D, Lamouille S, Judson RL, Liu JY, Bucay N, Derynck R, Blelloch R. Multiple targets of miR-302 and miR-372 promote human induced pluripotency. Nature Biotechnology. 2011. 29:443-8. Epub 2011 Apr 13.
- Babiarz JE, Hsu R, Melton C, Thomas M, Ullian EM, Blelloch R. A role for non-canconical microRNAs in the mammalian brain revealed by phenotypic differences in Dgcr8 versus Dicer1 knockouts and small RNA sequencing. RNA. 2011 Jun 28. [Epub ahead of print]
- 2000-2001 Rath Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow
- 2001 GATE Pharmaceuticals Outstanding Medical Student Award
- 2001 Alpha Omega Alpha (Medical Student Honor Society)
- 2001 University of Wisconsin-Madison Commencement Student Speaker
- 2004 Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Award with Distinction
- 2006- Peter Carroll Endowed Chair
- 2007-2011 Pew Scholar
- 2009 Kavli Fellow (National Academy of Sciences
- 2011 International Society of Stem Cell Research Outstanding Young Investigator Award.
- 2011 Faculty of 1000