Stefan Heller

Galectin and Myc enable cochlear progenitor expansion in vitro and in vivo

Single-cell profiling of mouse greater epithelial ridge (GER) organoids points to galectin-1 and Myc as drivers of cochlear progenitor expansion. Myc overexpression also yields organoids from post-hearing-onset cochlear epithelium.

A comparative single-cell transcriptomic atlas for diverse populations of vertebrate hair cells

The paper constructs a cross-species single-cell transcriptomic atlas of hair cells across multiple vertebrates and identifies conserved and species-specific gene expression programs.

Chicken Auditory Supporting Cells Express Interferon Response Genes during Regeneration towards Nascent Sensory Hair Cells In Vivo

This study identifies interferon response gene upregulation in chicken supporting cells during sensory hair cell regeneration, linked to JAK/STAT signaling and the emergence of nascent hair cells.

Hair-bearing human skin generated entirely from pluripotent stem cells

Stepwise modulation of TGFβ, BMP, and FGF signaling in human pluripotent stem cell aggregates generates innervated, pigmented hair-bearing skin organoids that form planar human skin when grafted onto nude mice.

Fbxo2VHC mouse and embryonic stem cell reporter lines delineate in vitro-generated inner ear sensory epithelia cells and enable otic lineage selection and Cre-recombination

The paper develops and characterizes a Fbxo2-targeted reporter system in mice and embryonic stem cells for inner ear studies, providing a toolbox for lineage tracing and conditional recombination.