TLDR The author felt excited and honored to receive the 2016 Early Career Life Scientist Award.
Valentina Greco's lab, awarded the 2016 Early Career Life Scientist Award, made significant strides in understanding tissue regeneration, particularly through live imaging of skin stem cells in mice. They discovered that stem cell fate is influenced by their niche and that cells can switch roles to maintain tissue function. Their research revealed that hair follicle stem cells can act as phagocytes and that epithelial cell death is niche-regulated. They also found that β-catenin can induce tumor growth independently of the niche. Greco emphasized a leadership model that values group contributions, adapts to feedback, and compensates for personal weaknesses to enhance collective productivity. The document underscored the importance of an inclusive and responsive lab culture, recognizing the support from family, friends, colleagues, and collaborators as crucial for the lab's success.
37 citations,
July 2016 in “Current Opinion in Cell Biology” Live imaging has advanced our understanding of stem cell behavior and raised new research questions.
82 citations,
March 2016 in “Cell” The conclusion is that tissue structure is key for stem cell communication and maintaining healthy tissues.
56 citations,
June 2015 in “Nature Protocols” Two-photon microscopy helps observe hair follicle stem cell behaviors in mice.
31 citations,
May 2015 in “Stem Cell Reports” Stem cells and their surrounding environment in hair follicles work closely together, affecting hair growth and having implications for cancer and tissue regeneration.
51 citations,
March 2014 in “Nature Communications” Skin tumor regression is helped by retinoic acid signaling blocking Wnt signaling.
305 citations,
June 2012 in “Nature” Hair regeneration needs dynamic cell behavior and mesenchyme presence for stem cell activation.
83 citations,
January 2015 in “World Journal of Stem Cells” Hair follicle regeneration needs special conditions and young cells.
143 citations,
September 2008 in “Experimental gerontology” Skin aging is due to impaired stem cell mobilization or fewer responsive stem cells.
41 citations,
December 2018 in “Experimental Dermatology” Understanding how melanocyte stem cells work could lead to new treatments for hair graying and skin pigmentation disorders.
55 citations,
March 2012 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Research on epidermal stem cells has advanced significantly, showing promise for improved clinical therapies.
211 citations,
November 2018 in “Nature Cell Biology” Stem cells help heal skin wounds by moving and changing roles, working with other cells, and needing more research on their activation and behavior.
178 citations,
August 2016 in “Advances in wound care” New effective scar treatments are urgently needed due to the current options' limited success.
