Jonathan Slack is Director of the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota, USA, and also holds the Tulloch Chair of Stem Cell Biology. His recent research has focused on the mechanisms of regeneration of missing parts, and on methods for inducing the transformation of one tissue type into another by overexpression of specific genes. He has a particular interest in attempting to reprogram other tissue types into pancreatic beta cells, which could be used for the treatment of some types of diabetes. He has published over 180 research and review papers in scientific journals, and has also written three books, including Essential Developmental Biology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005), an undergraduate textbook.
