David Kent
Dr. David Kent is a Principal Investigator at the York Biomedical Research Institute (https://www.york.ac.uk/biology/research/infection-immunity/david-kent/). His laboratory's research focuses on the fundamental biology of blood stem cells and how changes in their regulation lead to cancers. David has a long history of public engagement and outreach including the creation of The Black Hole (https://www.universityaffairs.ca/opinion/the-black-hole/) in 2009. He has been writing for Signals since 2010.
Posts by: David
Breaking down barriers between industry and academia to accelerate gene therapy
As an academic researcher in the blood stem cell field for the last 20 years, I’ve been involved in a large number of interdisciplinary collaborations and, more recently, a series of industry partnerships. There is no doubt in my mind that cell and gene therapy is one field that requires these types of partnerships spanning […]
Reversing aging: Not just a single system to consider…
For Signal’s annual blog carnival this year, we were asked to consider David Sinclair’s recent comments in the New York Times where he said “Aging is far more reversible than we thought.” As someone who has dedicated the better part of the last 20 years to studying stem cells in the context of healthy aging […]
Looking forward to the next few years in blood stem cell gene therapy
Over the past four weeks, I’ve discussed numerous aspects of gene therapy in an attempt to convey my excitement for this field moving forward. The convergence of numerous advances in basic biology (as described here and here) and clinical trials (as explained here and here) has placed gene therapy back in the driver’s seat as […]
Bioengineering approaches to building stem cell “homes” outside the body
The second post in this series on gene therapy and blood stem cells might give readers a small sense of the absolutely enormous research investment (time, money, people, etc.) required to find a way to expand blood stem cells for therapeutic purposes. Ever since the first bone marrow transplantations in the late 1950s, where the […]
Regenerative medicine and COVID-19: The search for a silver lining
As the nations of the world very slowly emerge out of the various states of lockdown and adjust to the new normal of social distancing, working from home, and staggering shifts, it gives us an opportunity to reflect on the past six months of world-changing events driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s Signal’s blog […]