| Citation | Austin Smith has carried out pioneering work on the mechanisms of self-renewal and lineage commitment in mammalian pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ES cells): they are both the vehicles for genetic manipulation in the mouse and cells that offer therapeutic possibilities in humans. His exceptional integration of extrinsic and intrinsic factors in ES cell biology includes his discovery/codiscovery of the growth factor that maintains their growth in culture, and conditions to direct differentiation into two of the extra-embryonic lineages (manipulating transcription factor levels) or to neural precursors (manipulating growth factor levels). Analysis of Nanog provides insights into stem cell biology. |