James Wells, PhD

Associate Professor
Cincinnati Children''s Hospital Medical Center
Division of Developmental Biology

3333 Burnet Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45229
USA

p. 513-636-8767
f. 513-636-4317
· email
· website

James Wells, PhD - Co-investigator Profile

Our research is focused on understanding the molecular basis of development of endodermal organs that are central to endocrine homeostasis, the pancreas and intestine. We have identified several important signaling pathways that direct transcriptional responses that are central to the development of these organs. We now use the basic principles of endoderm organ development as a molecular framework for several projects that are designed to improve child health: 1. Identifying the cause of congenital defects affecting endodermal organs. 2. Directing the differentiation of human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into pancreatic and intestinal tissue for basic research and eventual transplantation-based therapies for Diabetes. 3. Identifying molecular pathways involved in postnatal homeostasis and diseases affecting these important organ systems.

Scientific Interests/Keywords

Endoderm organogenesis, human pluripotent stem cells, endocrine cell development, metabolic disease, Diabetes

Publication	Citation
21337458	Murtaugh LC, Wells JM Understanding endoderm development: more than just a series of tubes. (2011) Dev Dyn 240: 461-2 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:01.164816)
21151107	Spence JR, Mayhew CN, Rankin SA, Kuhar MF, Vallance JE, Tolle K, Hoskins EE, Kalinichenko VV, Wells SI, Zorn AM, Shroyer NF, Wells JM Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into intestinal tissue in vitro. (2011) Nature 470: 105-9 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:04.473573)
20980403	Lin SC, Wani MA, Whitsett JA, Wells JM Klf5 regulates lineage formation in the pre-implantation mouse embryo. (2010) Development 137: 3953-63 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:07.856975)
20614471	Carpenter AC, Rao S, Wells JM, Campbell K, Lang RA Generation of mice with a conditional null allele for Wntless. (2010) Genesis 48: 554-8 (Added 2011-08-19 10:08:43.998965)
19855279	Mayhew CN, Wells JM Converting human pluripotent stem cells into beta-cells: recent advances and future challenges. (2010) Curr Opin Organ Transplant 15: 54-60 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:11.198356)
19619492	Spence JR, Lange AW, Lin SC, Kaestner KH, Lowy AM, Kim I, Whitsett JA, Wells JM Sox17 regulates organ lineage segregation of ventral foregut progenitor cells. (2009) Dev Cell 17: 62-74 (Added 2011-08-19 10:09:46.361301)
19575677	Zorn AM, Wells JM Vertebrate endoderm development and organ formation. (2009) Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 25: 221-51 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:13.872365)
19479035	Lange AW, Keiser AR, Wells JM, Zorn AM, Whitsett JA Sox17 promotes cell cycle progression and inhibits TGF-beta/Smad3 signaling to initiate progenitor cell behavior in the respiratory epithelium. (2009) PLoS One 4: e5711 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:17.673191)
17973329	Spence JR, Wells JM Translational embryology: using embryonic principles to generate pancreatic endocrine cells from embryonic stem cells. (2007) Dev Dyn 236: 3218-27 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:21.210939)
17576135	Moore-Scott BA, Opoka R, Lin SC, Kordich JJ, Wells JM Identification of molecular markers that are expressed in discrete anterior-posterior domains of the endoderm from the gastrula stage to mid-gestation. (2007) Dev Dyn 236: 1997-2003 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:23.81226)
17425939	Zorn AM, Wells JM Molecular basis of vertebrate endoderm development. (2007) Int Rev Cytol 259: 49-111 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:29.259993)
17222338	Wells JM, Esni F, Boivin GP, Aronow BJ, Stuart W, Combs C, Sklenka A, Leach SD, Lowy AM Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is required for development of the exocrine pancreas. (2007) BMC Dev Biol 7: 4 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:32.60402)
16574095	Park KS, Wells JM, Zorn AM, Wert SE, Whitsett JA Sox17 influences the differentiation of respiratory epithelial cells. (2006) Dev Biol 294: 192-202 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:51.686115)
16326079	Dessimoz J, Opoka R, Kordich JJ, Grapin-Botton A, Wells JM FGF signaling is necessary for establishing gut tube domains along the anterior-posterior axis in vivo. (2006) Mech Dev 123: 42-55 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:55.407798)
15576401	Serls AE, Doherty S, Parvatiyar P, Wells JM, Deutsch GH Different thresholds of fibroblast growth factors pattern the ventral foregut into liver and lung. (2005) Development 132: 35-47 (Added 2011-08-19 10:07:58.408143)
14660441	Gu G, Wells JM, Dombkowski D, Preffer F, Aronow B, Melton DA Global expression analysis of gene regulatory pathways during endocrine pancreatic development. (2004) Development 131: 165-79 (Added 2011-08-19 10:08:00.988174)

No viewable resources have been contributed