James M. Wells, PhD

Director for Research, Division of Endocrinology
Chief Scientific Officer, Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM)
Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

james.wells@cchmc.org

About

Biography

The focus of his teams basic research has been to identify the molecular mechanisms involved in the embryonic development of endocrine cells including pancreatic beta cells and tissues of the gastrointestinal tract. Their translational projects have focused on identifying new approaches to improve child health in several ways: 1. To identify and use embryonic pathways to generate complex, three-dimensional organ tissues from pluripotent stem cells, 2. Use these tissues to develop new in vitro human models for diabetes and digestive disease research and 3. Develop long-term, therapeutic strategies for cell and tissue-replacement therapies.

BS: Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 1987.

PhD: Graduate program in Genetics, SUNY at Stony Brook, New York, 1995.

Postdoctoral Fellow: Harvard University, Cambridge MA, 1996 - 2001.

Interests

Understanding the development of the pancreas, and gastrointestinal organs; generating 3-dimensional human tissues from pluripotent stem cells and using these as human models of diabetes and digestive disease.

For more information, please visit the CuSTOM web page.

Research Areas

Endocrinology, Developmental Biology

Publications

Exploring optimal protocols for generating and preserving glucose-responsive insulin-secreting progenitor cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells. Tornabene, P; Wells, JM. European Journal of Cell Biology. 2024; 103:151464.

A Pillar and Perfusion Plate Platform for Robust Human Organoid Culture and Analysis. Kang, SY; Kimura, M; Shrestha, S; Lewis, P; Lee, S; Cai, Y; Joshi, P; Acharya, P; Liu, J; Yang, Y; Alsberg, E; Wells, JM; Takebe, T; Lee, MY. Advanced healthcare materials. 2024; 13:e2302502.

RFX6 regulates human intestinal patterning and function upstream of PDX1. Sanchez, JG; Rankin, S; Paul, E; McCauley, HA; Kechele, DO; Enriquez, JR; Jones, NH; Greeley, SA W; Letourneau-Friedberg, L; Zorn, AM; Krishnamurthy, M; Wells, JM. Development (Cambridge). 2024; 151:dev202529.

Organoids in endocrine and metabolic research: current and emerging applications. Gilbert, PM; Hofmann, S; Ng, HH; Vankelecom, H; Wells, JM. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2024; 20:195-201.

Changing the public perception of human embryology. Rivron, NC; Martinez-Arias, A; Sermon, K; Mummery, C; Schöler, HR; Wells, J; Nichols, J; Hadjantonakis, AK; Lancaster, MA; Moris, N; Fu, J; Sturmey, RG; Niakan, K; Rossant, J; Kato, K. Nature Cell Biology. 2023; 25:1717-1719.

Development of functional resident macrophages in human pluripotent stem cell-derived colonic organoids and human fetal colon. Múnera, JO; Kechele, DO; Bouffi, C; Qu, N; Jing, R; Maity, P; Enriquez, JR; Han, L; Campbell, I; Mahe, MM; Hu, YC; Takebe, T; Helmrath, MA; Wells, JM. Cell Stem Cell. 2023; 30:1434-1451.e9.

In vivo development of immune tissue in human intestinal organoids transplanted into humanized mice. Bouffi, C; Wikenheiser-Brokamp, KA; Chaturvedi, P; Sundaram, N; Goddard, GR; Wunderlich, M; Brown, NE; Staab, JF; Latanich, R; Zachos, NC; Mulloy, JC; Zorn, AM; Wells, JM; Helmrath, MA. Nature Biotechnology. 2023; 41:824-831.

Transplanted human intestinal organoids: a resource for modeling human intestinal development. Singh, A; Poling, HM; Chaturvedi, P; Thorner, K; Sundaram, N; Kechele, DO; Childs, CJ; McCauley, HA; Fisher, GW; Brown, NE; Spence, JR; Wells, JM; Helmrath, MA. Development (Cambridge). 2023; 150:dev201416.

Nonsense mutation in the novel PERCC1 gene as a genetic cause of congenital diarrhea and enteropathy. Marek-Yagel, D; Stenke, E; Pode-Shakked, B; Dunne, C; Crushell, E; Bryce-Smith, A; McDermott, M; O’Sullivan, MJ; Veber, A; Krishnamurthy, M; Wells, JM; Anikster, Y; Bourke, B. Human Genetics. 2023; 142:691-696.

Enteroendocrine Cells Protect the Stem Cell Niche by Regulating Crypt Metabolism in Response to Nutrients. McCauley, HA; Riedman, AM; Enriquez, JR; Zhang, X; Watanabe-Chailland, M; Sanchez, JG; Kechele, DO; Paul, EF; Riley, K; Burger, C; Lang, RA; Wells, JM. CMGH Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2023; 15:1293-1310.