Catherine Verfaillie, M.D., Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota

• Director, Stem Cell Institute 1999-2006
• Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation of the University of Minnesota Medical School.
• Anderson Chair in Stem Cell Biology
• McKnight's Presidential Chair in Stem Cell Biology.

verfa001@umn.edu

Education

M.D., University of Leuven, Belgium

Research Interests

The major research interest of my lab is stem cell biology. This includes studies pertaining to the regulation of proliferation, differentiation, and lineage commitment of normal hematopoietic stem cells and hematopoietic stem cells from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia by cytokines and components of the extracellular matrix; as well as genetic characterization of hematopoietic stem cells and their progenitors.

In addition, over the last four years we have studied plasticity of stem cells, via purification, expansion and characterization of differentiation of multipotential post-natal stem cells from marrow, brain and muscle to mesodermal, ectodermal and endodermal lineages; analysis of the molecular signals required for commitment to differentiated multipotent stem cell types by functional genomics; and evaluation of their therapeutic potential in congenital disorders (MPS, Gaucher's, hemophilia) or for the treatment of cartilage, muscular, vascular, myocardial diseases, neurodegenerative and ischemic disorders disease, and liver or pancreas disorders.

Specific Projects

NORMAL HEMATOPOIESIS

• Regulation of normal human hematopoietic stem cell proliferation, differentiation and lineage commitment by cytokines and components of the extracellular matrix using in vitro as well as in vivo xenogeneic transplant models.
• Molecular and functional analysis of integrins on normal hematopoietic progenitors.
• Retroviral gene transfer in hematopoietic stem cells.
• Molecular characterization of hematopoietic stem cells by subtractive hybridization, functional genomics.

Bcr/Abl POSITIVE MALIGNANCIES

• Characterization of benign and malignant stem cells in CML
• Molecular and functional analysis of Bcr/Abl mediated deregulation of adhesion, migration and proliferation of CD34+ progenitors.
• Molecular characterization of genes activated downstream of Bcr/Abl by subtractive hybridization, functional genomics
• Novel targeted therapeutic approaches for Bcr/Abl positive malignancies.

FANCONI ANEMIA

• Characterization of defect in hematopoietic stem cell growth and in bone marrow microenvironment.
• Gene therapy.

SICKLE CELL ANEMIA

• Chimeoplasty.

MULTIPOTENT ADULT STEM CELLS

• Purification, expansion and characterization of differentiation to mesodermal, ectodermal and endodermal lineages.
• Molecular signals required for commitment to differentiated multipotent mesenchymal stem cell types, using subtractive hybridization, functional genomics and proteomics.

Selected Publications

1. Verfaillie CM, Blakolmer K, McGlave P. Purified primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells with long-term in vitro repopulating capacity adhere selectively to irradiated bone marrow stroma. J Exp Med 172: 509-520, 1990. (IF: 13.96)
2. Verfaillie CM, Miller WJ, Boylan K, McGlave PB. Selection of benign primitive hematopoietic progenitors in chronic myelogenous leukemia on the basis of HLA-DR antigen expression. Blood 79: 1003-1010, 1992. (IF: 10.1)
3. Verfaillie CM. Direct contact between human primitive hematopoietic progenitors and bone marrow stroma is not required for long-term in vitro hematopoiesis. Blood 79: 2821-2826, 1992. (Rapid communication) (IF: 10.1)
4. Verfaillie CM. Soluble factor(s) produced by human bone marrow stroma increase cytokine-induced proliferation and maturation of primitive hematopoietic progenitors while preventing their terminal differentiation. Blood 82:2045-2053, 1993. (IF: 10.1)
5. Bhatia R, Wayner EA, McGlave PB, Verfaillie CM. Interferon-a ?restores normal adhesion of chronic myelogenous leukemia hematopoietic progenitors to bone marrow stroma by correctinging impaired ß1 integrin receptor function. J Clin Invest 94: 384-391, 1994. Comment in: J Clin Invest: 94: 3, 1994 (IF: 15.0)
6. Hurley RW, McCarthy JB, Verfaillie CM. Direct adhesion to bone marrow stroma via fibronectin receptors inhibits hematopoietic progenitor proliferation. J Clin Invest 96: 511-9, 1995. (IF: 15.0)
7. Punzel M, Wissink SD, Miller JS, Moore KA, Lemishka IR, Verfaillie CM. The Myeloid-Lymphoid Initiating Cell (ML-IC) assay assesses the fate of multipotent human progenitors in vitro.  Blood 93: 3750-3756, 1999. (IF: 10.1)
8. Reyes M, Lund T, Lenvik T, Aguiar D, Koodie L, Verfaillie CM. Purification and ex vivo expansion of post-natal human marrow mesodermal progenitor cells.  Blood 98: 2615-25, 2001. (IF: 10.1)
9. Reyes M, Dudek A, Jahagirdar B, Koodie L, Marker PH, Verfaillie CM. Origin of endothelial progenitors in human post-natal bone marrow J Clin Invest. 109: 337-346, 2002. (IF: 15.0)
10. Schwartz, RE, Reyes, M, Koodie L, Jiang Y, Blackstad M, , Lund T, Lenvik T, Johnson S Hu W-S, Verfaillie CM. Multipotent adult progenitor cells from bone marrow differentiate into functional hepatocyte-like cells. J Clin. Invest. 109, 1291-1302, 2002. (IF: 15.0)
11. Jiang Y, Jahagirdar BN, Reinhard RL, Schwartz RE, Keene CD, Ortiz XR, Reyes M, Lenvik T, Lund T, Blackstad M, Du J, Aldrich S, Lisberg A, Low, WC, Largaespada DA, Verfaillie CM. Pluripotency of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adult marrow. Nature 418:41-9, 2002. (IF: 29.3)
12. Eckfeldt CE, Mendenhall EM, Flynn CM, Wang, TF, Pickart MA, Grindle SM, Ekker SE, Verfaillie CM. Functional analysis of human hematopoietic stem cell gene expression using zebrafish. PLoS Biology 3(8): e254, 2005 (IF: 14.6)
13. Burns TC, Ortiz-González XR, Gutiérrez Pérez M, Keene CD, Sharda R, Demorest ZL, Jiang Y, Nelson-Holte M, Soriano M, Nakagawa Y, Luquin Piudo MR, Garcia-Verdugo JM, Prósper F, Low WC, Verfaillie CM. Thymidine analogues are transferred from donor to host cells in the central nervous system. Stem Cells 24:1121-7 2006  (IF: 6.1)
14. Ross JJ, Hong Z, Willenbring B, Zeng L, Isenberg B, Lee E-H, Reyes M, Keirstead SA, Weir EK, Tranquillo RT, Verfaillie CM. Cytokine-induced differentiation of Mulitpotent Adult Progenitor Cells into functional smooth muscle cells. J Clin Invest. 116: 3139-3149, 2006 (IF: 15.0)
15. Chase LG, Ulloa-Montoya F, Kidder BL, Verfaillie CM. Islet-Derived Fibroblast-like Cells are not Derived via Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition from Pdx-1 or Insulin Positive Cells. Rapid Communication, Diabetes 56: 3-7, 2007 (IF: 8.0)
16. Aranguren X, Luttun A, Clavel C, Moreno C, Abizanda G, Barajas MA, Pelacho B, Uriz M, Araña M, Echavarri A, Soriano M, Andreu EJ, Merino J, Garcia-Verdugo JM, Verfaillie CM, Prósper F.  In vitro and in vivo arterial differentiation from human multipotent adult progenitor cells. Blood 109: 2634-2642, 2007 (IF: 10.1)
17. Serafini M, Dylla SJ, Oki M, Heremans Y, Buckley S, Jiang Y, Bryder D, Rossi DJ, Panoskaltsis-Mortari A, O’Shaughnessy MS, Nelson-Holte M, Weissman IL, Blazar BR, Verfaillie CM.  Hematopoietic Reconstitution by Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells: precursors to long-term hematopoietic stem cells. J Exp Med 204:129-39, 2007 (IF: 13.96)
18. Zeng L, Hu Q, Wang X, Mansoor A, Lee J, Feygin J, Zhang G, Suntharalingam P, Boozer S, Mhashilkar A, Panetta CJ, Swingen C, Deans R, From AH, Bache RJ, Verfaillie CM, Zhang J. Bioenergetic and Functional Consequences of Bone Marrow-Derived Multipotent Progenitor Cell Transplantation in Hearts With Postinfarction Left Ventricular Remodeling. Circulation 115: 1866-1875, 2007 (IF: 11.3)
19. Dao MA, Creer MH, Nolta JA, Verfaillie CM. Biology of umbilical cord blood progenitors in bone marrow niches. Blood. 2007 Mar 19; [Epub ahead of print] (IF: 10.1)