Dr. Dean Tantin has recently received a prestigious March of Dimes grant for his research on the Oct4 protein.  Recent discoveries involving Oct4 have opened many new doors for further research and understanding about how the protein works.
   
    It is known that when Oct4 is combined with two or three other proteins and put into adult, differentiated cells, they can revert back to embryonic (pluripotent) stem cells.  It does this by binding with specific DNA sequences in the cell that initiate the transfer of genetic instructions and eventually reprogram the cell.  Discovery of the binding sequences led to the funding of this prestigious award. 
   
    Due to the great usefulness of stem cells, this discovery has important implications for future use in medicine and pharmacy.  Eventually these stem cells might be able to be used for treatment of genetic disorders and other diseases involving irreversible tissue damage.  Much is still unknown about exactly how Oct4 works, and future research for Dr. Tantin will be to determine the transition steps in the reprogramming process between the adult cell and the stem cell, specifically the mechanism by which Oct4 modulates the expression of its targets.

    We are hopeful about the positive implications of the research and the effect it could eventually have on medical research and the treatment of diseases.