Stem Cell and Genomics Research – Shay Soker, Ph.D.
The goals in tissue engineering include the replacement of damaged, injured or missing body tissues with biological compatible substitutes. To engineer large functional tissues, adequate vascularization and innervation are essential. Shay Soker Ph.D. is an expert in the field of angiogenesis. His research is focused on the molecular and cellular biology of the vascular system, especially on vascular growth factors and their receptors. Prior studies conducted by Dr. Soker showed that supplementation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) enhanced engineered tissue vascularization and Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) induced axonal regeneration. At the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Soker is developing new approaches to enhance the growth of blood vessels and nerves into the engineered or regenerated tissue by: 1) Incorporation of angiogenic and neurogenic factors in the bioengineered tissue, 2) Seeding the scaffolds of the engineered tissue with endothelial or neuronal progenitor cells; and 3) Pre-vascularization of scaffolds prior to cell seeding.
Dr. Shay Soker oversees the stem cell and genomic research at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The goals of these studies are to isolate and characterize new source of stem cells and to employ them for tissue engineering and regeneration. Further evaluation of these stem cells takes advantage of new technologies to study gene expression. By performing gene array analyses on the stem cells, as they differentiate into multiple lineages and forming tissue in vivo, we are able to identify key cellular processes that are essential for differentiation and tissue formation. Further research is now combining the gene array data and the use of stem cells for regeneration and engineering of tissues such as: pancreatic islets, cardiac muscles, heart valves, skeletal muscles, fat and blood vessels.
Dr. Soker received his Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1985. He received his Master’s Degree in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1987. After a year as a research scientist at the Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research Institute he attended graduate school at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and obtained a Ph.D. in Biology in 1993. Upon graduation, he accepted a post doctoral position at the Department of Surgical Research at the Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he worked with Dr. Michael Klagsbrun on VEGF and its receptors. In 1998, he joined Dr. Anthony Atala at the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy at Children's Hospital as an Instructor in Surgery. In 2001 Dr. Soker was promoted to an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Together with Drs. Anthony Atala and James Yoo, he moved in 2004 to Wake Forest University to serve as the founding faculty for the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He is currently an Associate Professor of Surgical Sciences and an Adjunct Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology and of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Soker is the author of numerous papers and book chapters in the cancer, vascular biology and tissue engineering, and the inventor of several national and international patents and patents pending.
Contact Information:
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Medical Center Boulevard
Winston Salem, NC 27157
(336) 713-7295 office
(336) 713-7290 fax
ssoker@wfubmc.edu