Stem Cell Research
Our research is focused on a technology driven system for the utilization of stem cells in general, and specifically to improve the quality of life in individuals with lifelong threatening health issues caused by illness, injury or ageing. The work is a frontier investigation across disciplines, that underpins state-of-art biotechnology, fostering the development and implementation of existing and new technologies in the fields of stem cell biology, tissue engineering, dermatology and immunology, with an underlying health enhancement concept.
Derivation of stem cell lines
Working in concordance with ethical and regulatory issues in different EU countries, defining the most relevant assays for testing and validating safety and efficacy, following cGMP requirements and minimizing use of animal-based products and testing on animals.
Disease modeling
We combine novel gene editing technique (CRISPR-Cas9), stem cell technology, tissue engineering, clinical dermatology and immunology and mathematics for generation of highly specific in vitro models of genetic diseases.
Tissue engineering
Development of 3D human full thickness skin model with a functional permeability barrier that is highly reproducible 
and has the potential to be easily scaled up and adapted to cGMP requirements for the use in drug development as well as regenerative and aesthetic medicine
The group
Selected recent publications
2016
Ilic D, Ogilvie C: Concise Review: hESC - What have we done? What are we doing? Where are we going?Stem Cells 2016 Jun 28. [Epub ahead of print]
Ilic D, Vicovac L, Nikolic M, Lazic Ilic E. Human amniotic membrane grafts in therapy of chronic non-healing wounds. Br Med Bull 2016;117:59-67
Miere C, Devito L, Ilic D. Sendai Virus-Based Reprogramming of Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Wharton's Jelly into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2016;1357:33-44.
Jacquet L, Wood V, Kadeva N, Cornwell G, Codognotto S, Stephenson E, Ilic D. Generation of KCL040 clinical grade human embryonic stem cell line. Stem Cell Res 2016;16:173-176
Hewitson H, Wood V, Kadeva N, Cornwell G, Codognotto S, Stephenson E, Ilic D. Generation of KCL024 research grade human embryonic stem cell line carrying a mutation in NF1 gene. Stem Cell Res2016;16:243-245
2015
Ilic D, Devito L, Miere C, Codognotto S: Human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells in clinical trials. Br Med Bull 2015;116:19-27.
Jacquet L, Neueder A, Földes G, Karagiannis P, Hobbs K, Jolinon N, Mioulane M, Sakai T, Harding SE, Ilic D. Three Huntington’s disease specific mutation-carrying human embryonic stem cell lines have stable number of CAG repeats upon in vitro differentiation into cardiomyocytes. PLoS One 2015;10:e0126860.
Cvoro A, Devito L, Milton FA, Noli L, Zhang A, Filippi C, Sakai K, Suh JH, Sieglaff DH, Dhawan A, Sakai T, Ilic D, Webb P. A Thyroid Hormone Receptor/KLF9 Axis in Human Hepatocytes and Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem Cells 2015;33:416-428.
Badraiq H, Devito L, Ilic D. Isolation and Expansion of Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Under Chemically Defined Conditions. Methods Mol Biol 2015;1283:65-71.
2014
Petrova A, Cell A, Jacquet L, Dafou D, Crumrine D, Hupe M, Arno M, Hobbs C, Cvoro A, Karagiannins P, Devito L, Sun R, Adame LC, Vaughan R, McGrath JA, Mauro TM, Ilic D: 3D in vitro model of a functional epidermal permeability barrier from hESC and iPSC. Stem Cell Reports 2014;2:675-689.
Devito L, Petrova A, Miere C, Codognotto S, Ogilvie C, Khalaf Y, Ilic D. Cost-Effective Master Cell Bank Validation of Multiple Clinical-Grade Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines from a Single Donor. Stem Cell Transl Med 2014;3:1116-1124.
Devito L, Badraiq H, Galleu A, Taheem DK, Codognotto S, Siow R, Khalaf Y, Briley A, Shennan A. Poston L, McGrath J, Gentleman E, Dazzi F, Ilic D. Wharton’s jelly MSC derived under chemically defined animal product-free low oxygen conditions are rich in MSCA-1+ subpopulation. Regen Med 2014;9:723-732.
Sun R, Celli A, Crumrine D, Hupe M, Adame LC, Pennypecker SD, Park K, Uchida Y, Feingold KR, Elias PM, Ilic D, Mauro TM. Lowered Humidity Produces Human Epidermal Equivalents with Enhanced Barrier Properties. Tissue Engineering Part C Methods 2015;21:15-22.
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