MMCRI: Zack Z. Wang, Ph.D.

Zack Z. Wang, Ph.D.

Center for Molecular Medicine
Maine Medical Center Research Institute
81 Research Drive
Scarborough, ME 04074
(207) 885-8313 (Office)
(207) 885-8316 (Lab)
(207) 885-8179 (Fax)
wangz@mmc.org

Biosketch

Zack Zhengyu Wang, a principal investigator at Maine Medical Center Research Institute (MMCRI) and the Center for Molecular Medicine, received his Ph.D. at the Boston University School of Medicine in the Department of Biochemistry. His thesis research involved the study of molecular hematopoiesis, focusing on the mechanisms of cell cycle regulation of polyploidy in megakaryocytes, the platelet precursors. He did his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. David Scadden in the Center of Regenerative Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston. His research focused on molecular mechanisms of hematopoietic stem cells and blood vessel development. After leaving an instructor position at Harvard Medical School he joined MMCRI in 2005, and directs the ES cell core facility.

Research Interests

The long-term research goal of my laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate stem cell self-renewal, and differentiation of hematopoietic and endothelial lineages. Both adult and embryonic stem (ES) cells hold great potential for regenerative medicine, and gene therapy. Defining the molecular links between differentiation outcomes will provide important information for designing rational methods of stem cell manipulation. We will (i) characterize ES cell-derived hematopoietic and endothelial progenitors as a renewable resources for in vivo studies in animal models, (ii) use ES cells as a model system to explore the relationships of vasculogenesis and hematopoiesis, and elucidate the molecular mechanisms that control fate determination, (iii) use mouse model to study microenvironment (niche) of hematopoietic stem cells.

Human ES cell-derived endothelial cells form functional blood vessels in vivo

Selected Publications

Wang ZZ*, Au P, Chen T, Shao Y, Daheron LM, Bai H, Arzigian M, Fukumura D, Jain RK* and Scadden DT*. Endothelial cells derived from human embryonic stem cells form durable blood vessels in vivo. Nat Biotechnol. 2007; 25:317-8. (*Corresponding authors) (PMID: 17322871)

Chen T, Bai H, Shao Y, Arzigian M, Janzen V, Attar E, Xie Y, Scadden DT and Wang ZZ. Stromal cell-derived factor-1/CXCR4 signaling modifies the capillary-like organization of human embryonic stem cell-derived endothelium in vitro. Stem Cells 2007; 25:392–401. (PMID: 17038674).

Li ZJ, Wang ZZ, Zheng YZ, Xu B, Yang RC, Scadden DT and Han HC. Kinetic Expression of Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (PECAM-1/CD31) during Embryonic Stem Cell differentiation. J Cell Biochem. 2005; 95:559-570. (PMID: 15786495).

Wang Z, Shao Y, Cohen K, Mole P, Dombkowski D and Scadden DT. Ephrin receptor, EphB4, regulates ES cell differentiation of primitive mammalian hemangioblasts, blood, cardiomyocytes, and blood vessels. Blood 2004; 103:100-109. (PMID: 12958066).

Poznansky MC, Olszak IT, Evans RH, Wang Z, Foxall RB, Olson DP, Weibrecht K, Luster AD, and Scadden DT. Thymocyte emigration is mediated by active movement away from stroma-derived factors. J Clin Invest. 2002; 109:1101-10. (PMID: 11956248).

Wang Z, Miura N, Bonelli A, Mole P, Carlesso N, Olson D, and Scadden DT. Receptor tyrosine kinase, EphB4 (HTK), accelerates differentiation of select human hematopoietic cells. Blood 2002; 99:2740-07. (PMID: 11929761).

Lab Photo

Left to Right: Daniel Moore, Tamara Anderson, Melanie Arzigian, Hao Bai, Zack Wang