Project information
DIOSCURI Centre for Stem Cell Biology and Metabolic Diseases - dofinancování

The mission of the proposed Dioscuri Centre at Masaryk University in Brno (MU) is to leverage cutting-edge tools in developmental biology to understand the roles of stem cell maintenance and metabolism in human health while supporting a scientifically excellent and equitable environment for trainees to thrive.
Stem cells are critical for organ maintenance and repair, with their loss during aging leading to organ failure. The long-term maintenance of stem cells depends on specialized cells in niches, which modify the local microenvironment and serve as a source of signaling factors that maintain stem cells. The niche is as important as the stem cells, as tissues can recover from stem cell ablation through recruitment of new cells to the niche. The inability to maintain and repair bone and cartilage leads to some of the most common diseases in humans, including arthritis and osteoporosis, reducing the quality of life of an aging population and costing the European Union over € 37 billion annually. This proposal tests the hypothesis that a subtype of dermal fibroblasts functions as a niche for skeletal stem cells by secreting
signaling factors, controlling metabolism (e.g. amino acids and glucose availability), and preventing the accumulation of toxic metabolites (e.g. homogentisate). Through a better understanding of the skeletal stem cell niche, my research Centre aims to prolong and rejuvenate skeletal stem cell function with the ultimate goal of improving human health.