Faculty Directory
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Yiling Hong Assistant Professor Office/lab: SC342A/SC44 Phone: (937) 229-3429 Fax: (937) 229-2021 Email: Yiling Hong Curriculum Vitae |
Research Interests: Stem Cells, Nanotoxicity, and Cancer
There are two primary research projects that are being performed in my laboratory: The objective of the first project is to reprogram stem cells from non-embryonic sources such as skin fibroblast cells. Human embryonic stem cells have enormous medical potential for cellular transplantation and the treatment of many human diseases, but research in this area has generated considerable moral and political controversy because such cells are normally derived from human embryos. My research interested is to search methods to produce pluripotent stem cells by reprogramming the somatic cells into stem cell-like cells. Our study could provide an approach to generate stem cell-like cells from somatic cells in a very rapid, easy and low cost manner without genetic alteration or destroying embryos. This research will greatly accelerate all aspects of stem cell therapy research and development, including large scale production of stem cells for medical research and drug discovery, and improved clinical outcomes for stem cell therapy since the stem cells generated from a patient‘s own skin should eliminate immune rejection of transplanted cells.
The objective of the second project is to evaluate the biocompatibility and toxicity effects of nanoparticles in mammalian cells, and to test how these effects may be affected by the nanoparticle sizes and surface chemistry. The wider use of nanoscale materials will be accompanied by an increased opportunity for population-based exposure. Owing to their unique electronic, physical, and chemical properties, nanoscale materials may cause biological consequences including oxidative stress and inflammation. I anticipate that this project would help us to develop the rapid, sensitive molecule marker to detect the biocompatibility and toxicity at molecular and cellular levels, and to set up a safety standard for nanoparticle applications. |
