All cells in the body have the same genes, instructions, so why are they developing into different tissues such as nerves, muscles etc.? This question has inspired Professor Joshua M. Brickman since the beginning of his career and his team seeks to understand how different cells use (turn on) certain genes – a process known as transcription – and turn off others. They have made landmark discoveries, understanding how signals produced by cells instruct the gene transcription in target cells, and exploiting these principles to identify new stem cells. Their goal is to decrypt biological mechanisms, exploiting them to generate designer cell types to treat disease.

Professor Brickman is a principal investigator in reNEW’s Copenhagen node and professor of stem cell and developmental biology at the University of Copenhagen. He was recruited to Copenhagen with the formation of reNEW’s predecessor DanStem. He has received numerous prestigious personal fellowships in recognition of his achievements.

Professor Brickman has run successful research groups at the University of Edinburgh and then in DanStem, where he was vice director and finally executive director. He sits on numerous advisory and editorial boards, and has served as the deputy chair of the main UK government’s funding panel for stem biology, Molecular Cellular Medicine Board at the Medical Research Council.