Our goal is to understand, model, and recapitulate in vitro the instructive signals utilized by human embryos to pattern tissue-specific differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, and apply this knowledge towards the rational design of tissue engineered scaffolds and other regenerative therapeutic strategies. Currently, we primarily focus on generating tissues and therapies for the central nervous system.
Meet the Lab with WI PBS!
"Can you help me make a neural tube?" SCBRM Nervous System Engineers engage in Educational Outreach!
Tech Commercialization
Dr. Ashton presents the business plan of Neurosetta, LLC at SUMMERFEST Tech WARF Innovation Day in Milwaukee June 29th, 2022.
Neural Rosette Cutaway
Micro-patterned substrate tech allows for single neural rosette formation. Green (Pax6), Red (B3 tubulin), Blue (Nuclear).
Public Advocacy
Dr. Randolph Ashton discusses the importance of scientific research with WI Governor Tony Evers and Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes!
HOX Patterning Precision
Precisely control NSC regionalization along the hindbrain and spinal cord’s R/C axis (governed by expression of 39 Hox genes).
Exploring New Questions
Postdoctoral Researcher Nisha Iyer shows Undergraduate Researcher Assistant Stephanie Cuskey an RNA Isolation reagent.
Neural rosettes
2D neural rosettes grown in cell culture. N-Cadherin (red); Cell nuclei (blue); Laminin (green).
Professional Development
Postdoctoral Researcher Gavin Knight presenting his research at the 12th Annual Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium.
The E6 PROTOCOL
The simplest and fastest protocol for differentiating hPSCs into a pure neural cell culture, xeno-free & clinically translatable.
Mentorships
Dr. Alireza Aghayee watching former undergraduate researcher Lexi Doersch practice a cell culture technique.
Section Perfection
Dr. Carlos Marti-Figueroa & Graduate Research Assistant Frank Seipel inspect a fresh section of organoid tissue on a glass slide.
SCRMC Fellowship Award
Dr. Nisha Iyer (right) receiving a SCRMC Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from Prof. William Murphy (left) & Prof. Tim Kamp (middle)!
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Modular derivation of diverse, regionally discrete human posterior CNS neurons enables discovery of transcriptomic patterns. Nisha R. Iyer, Junha Shin, Stephanie Cuskey, Yucheng Tian, Noah R. Nicol, Tessa E. Doersch, Frank Seipel, Sunnie Grace McCalla, Sushmita Roy, Randolph Ashton. 2022. Science Advances. [https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abn7430]
Bioengineering the human spinal cord. Nisha R. Iyer, Randolph S. Ashton. 2022. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. [https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2022.942742]
New ideas for non-animal approaches to predict repeated-dose systemic toxicity: Report from an EPAA Blue Sky Workshop. Catherine Mahony, Randolph Ashton, Barbara Birk, Alan Boobis, Tom Cull, George Daston, Lorna Ewart, Thomas Knudsen, Irene Manou, Sebastian Maurer-Stroh, Luigi Margiotta-Casaluci, Boris Muller, Par Nordlund, Ruth Roberts, Thomas Steger-Hartmann, Evita Vandenbossche, Mark Viant, Mathieu Vinken, Mark Cronin. 2020. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2020.104668]
Tracking and Predicting Human Somatic Cell Reprogramming Using Nuclear Characteristics. Kaivalya Molugu, Ty Harkness, Jared Carlson-Stevermer, Ryan Prestil, Nicole Piscopo, Stephanie Seymour, Gavin Knight, Randolph Ashton, Krishanu Saha. 2020. Biophysical Journal. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2019.10.014]
The scanning gradient Fourier transform (SGFT) method for assessing sarcomere organization and alignment. Max Salick, Brett Napiwocki, Rachel Kruepke, Gavin Knight, Randolph Ashton, Wendy Crone. 2020. Journal of Applied Physics. [https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5129347]
Bioengineering tissue morphogenesis and function in human neural organoids. Nikolai Fedorchak, Nisha Iyer, Randolph Ashton. 2020. Semin Cell Dev Biol. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.05.025]
Inferring Regulatory Programs Governing Region Specificity of Neuroepithelial Stem Cells during Early Hindbrain and Spinal Cord Development. Deborah Chasman, Nisha Iyer, Alireza Fotuhi Siahpirani, Maria Estevez Silva, Ethan Lippmann, Brian McIntosh, Mitchell D. Probasco, Peng Jiang, Ron Stewart, James A. Thomson, Randolph S. Ashton, Sushmita Roy. 2019. Cell Systems. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cels.2019.05.012]
Micro-injection molded, poly (vinyl alcohol)-Calcium Salt Templates for Precise Customization of 3D Hydrogel Internal Architecture. JD McNulty. Carlos Marti Figueroa, Frank Seipel, Joshua Z. Plantz, Thomas Ellingham, Lukas JL duddleston, Sebastian Goris, Benjamin L Cox, Tim A Osswald, Lih-Sheng Turng, Randolph S Ashton. 2019. Acta Biomaterialia. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2019.04.050]
Ashton Group in the News
- Improved understanding of early spinal cord development paves the way for new treatments
- New technique enables versatile 3D control over stem cell-derived organoids
- Governor Visits Research Institutes in Discovery Building
- Ashton appointed to important stem cell research post
- At UW-Madison, 500 scientists studying stem cells 20 years after discovery
- New Technology for Controlling Neural Tissue Manufacturing
- UW-Madison's BME Newsletter for Summer 2018
- Ashton Group continues research into causes of Lou Gehrig’s disease
- $20 million NSF award will fund creation of Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies
- Grant funds creation of spinal tissue from scratch in UW Madison Lab
- Ashton Lab funded to engineer a human spinal cord
- Prof. Ashton delivers a lecture in the International Society for Stem Cell Research's Stem Bioengineering Focus Session
Featured News - Top: WARF Innovation Award Finalist (November 2020); Bottom: WKOWs "Wake Up Wisconsin" telecast (May 15th, 2017)
ASHTON LAB ANNOUNCEMENTS--
October 2022
Congratulations to Dr. Randolph Ashton, Dr. Gavin Knight, and Dr. Rebecca Willett for the public website launch of Neurosetta, LLC. Also, congratulations to Dr. Nisha Iyer, her team of undergraduate students, Dr. Ashton, and the study’s associated co-authors for their recent publication in Science Advances titled “Modular derivation of diverse, regionally discrete human posterior CNS neurons enables discovery of transcriptomic patterns.”
August 2022
Congratulations to Dr. Nisha Iyer for winning the Burrough’s Young Investigator Award at BMES 2022 and for winning the Best Poster Award at the March 2022 Gordon Research Conference (theme: CNS Injury and Repair). She also reported that two of her papers were accepted recently: 1) ‘Bioengineering the Human Spinal Cord‘ at Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, and 2) ‘Modular derivation of diverse, regionally discrete human posterior CNS neurons enables discovery of transcriptomic patterns’ at Science Advances. Dr. Iyer also began a new faculty position as a Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor at Tufts University this August and has her own lab website. We look forward to seeing her future success and we are thankful for her time with the Ashton Group. Dr. Iyer has trained multiple mentees over the last five years, and she was a pleasure to work with! We wish you the best, Nisha!
July 2022
Congrats to Dr. Randolph Ashton for his recent presentation pitch showcasing the services of Neurosetta, LLC at Summerfest Tech 2022. His pitch was noted in a recent WisBusiness newsletter.
April 2022
Congrats to Undergraduate Research Assistant Jack Maher for being awarded a Hilldale Research Fellowship! The award will fund lab-specific research training and his project-associated expenses.
December 2021
Associate Professor Randolph Ashton and postdoctoral researcher Gavin Knight (PhD ’18) launched a biotechnology startup company, Neurosetta, and received a $1.7 million Small Business Technology Transfer award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
August 2021
Congrats to Lauryn Campagnoli for completing her Master’s Degree through UW-Madison’s Neuroscience Training Program! Also, congratulations to Dr. Ashton and Dr. Iskandar for receiving a NIH R21 grant award for their project “Evaluating Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Rosette Arrays as a Neural Tube Defect Risk Screening Platform (HD103111-01).”
May 2021
Congrats to Alireza Aghayeemeibody on his recent completion of his PhD! The Ashton Group also welcomes Jack Maher to the lab. He will work as an undergraduate research assistant with our MD/PhD Graduate Student Brady Lundin on various bioengineering experiments.
More announcements!!!