The overall goal of this laboratory is to transform the theories of regenerative medicine into clinical practice. This popular new field has been slow to progress not for lack of novel concepts but for lack of testable solutions. The solutions we envision stem in part from an in vivo model system we have developed wherein human stem cells undergo fusion (in some cases), differentiation and expansion in animals. We are currently delving more deeply into the mechanisms that govern stem cell fusion. We plan to apply the insights gained from this work to enhance efforts to regenerate heart tissue. In addition, we plan to build new technologies to enable advanced analysis of stem cells including, multiphoton flow cytometry.