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Dr聽Pengyi聽Yang聽has聽received one of two annual $55,000 Metcalf Prizes from the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia in聽recognition of his leadership in the field.

顿谤听驰补苍驳聽holds a joint position with the University of Sydney聽School of Mathematics & Statistics, the聽Charles Perkins Centre聽and the聽. His work aims to聽remove much of the guesswork from stem聽cell science and eventually stem聽cell medicine.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 stem cell treatments聽have been聽the product of trial and聽error,鈥� 顿谤听驰补苍驳 said.聽

鈥淢y virtual stem cell will allow us to understand what鈥檚 happening inside a single stem cell that makes it decide what type of cell it will become聽such as, but not limited to,聽hair, skin, muscle, nerve聽or聽blood聽cells.鈥澛�

He is mapping the many, complex influences聽controlling聽stem cells and聽the way聽they specialise into different cell types.聽

鈥淪tem cells are amazing because they can produce any kind of cell in the body. They鈥檙e fundamental to聽regenerative medicine,鈥澛牰侔�听驰补苍驳 said.聽

鈥淏ut, when their聽controls fail,聽rogue stem cells can lead to cancer.鈥澛�

All聽human聽life聽starts聽as a single stem cell. It goes on to produce cells that eventually become every type of tissue and organ of the human body. Even in adulthood, stem cells聽repair聽and聽replace聽tissue all the time.聽

鈥淧eople are excited about the potential of stem cell medicine, but the聽reality is extremely complicated. Thousands of genes, complex gene networks, environmental factors, and an individual鈥檚 own health are all involved in pushing stem cells to become specific cell types,鈥澛牰侔�听驰补苍驳 said.聽聽

顿谤听驰补苍驳, a computer聽scientist turned stem cell researcher, uses computational science and statistics to understand how stem cells function at a fundamental level 鈥� work that will be useful for聽the entire stem cell field of聽research.聽

鈥淲e need a computer聽model to bring all of these influences together聽so we can identify the specific gene networks that drive the stem cells towards each cell type,鈥澛爃e said.聽

Winning a Metcalf Prize will help him develop a suite of tools that will help researchers聽interrogate the 鈥榖ig data鈥櫬爎elated to stem cell specialisation more effectively, from how adult stem cells function in healthy ageing,聽to the way聽itransplanted聽cells work in聽regenerative medicine.聽

Already,聽顿谤听驰补苍驳聽and his colleagues have used computational methods to create a comprehensive map of how different layers of genetic information talk to each other聽during a crucial stage of embryonic development.聽

While his own work has focused on the early embryo, his collaborators use his techniques to understand fat stem cells, with聽ramifications for聽research into diabetes and obesity. Another聽group is looking at the generation of muscle tissue.聽

鈥淯ltimately, I want to make computer聽models that can create blueprints for聽using stem cells to generate any specific type of聽cell聽,鈥� he said.聽

鈥淢y dream is for聽my work to open the door聽to new treatments.鈥澛犅�

顿谤听驰补苍驳鈥檚聽research has been funded by the National Health and Medical聽Research Council and the Australian聽Research Council.

顿谤听驰补苍驳聽received聽one of two Metcalf Prizes, the other聽going to Associate Professor Siok Teyis, a clinician researcher at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and聽Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

Chairman of the聽, Dr聽Graeme Blackman AO, said:聽鈥淧engyi聽Yang鈥檚聽research unravelling the fundamentals of how different cell聽types聽form and聽Siok聽Tey鈥檚聽work towards improving outcomes for聽her聽patients shows the breadth and the importance of stem-cell聽research 鈥� from basic science to treatments in the clinic.鈥澛�

The awards are named聽after聽the late Professor聽Donald Metcalf AC who, over聽a 50-year聽career, helped transform cancer聽treatment and transplantation medicine, paving the way for聽potential stem cell therapy in the treatment of many other聽conditions.

The 2021聽Metcalf Prizes for聽Stem Cell聽Research will be formally presented at a special event later聽in the year.