How does a brain cell know that it is different than a blood cell? Or for that matter a cancer cell? In this Wisconsin Academy talk, biochemist Laura Kiessling explains how the carbohydrate “coat” that cells wear on their surface conveys information about the environment on the inside of the cell. Too, Kiessling describes how that coat can be manipulate to direct the differentiation of embryonic stem cells to medically important cells. This presentation is part of Science & Society, a showcase event for the Wisconsin Academy Fellows. at the Wisconsin Science Festival on September 27, 2013.
