"Adaptation to changes in nutrition continues to affect our modern life in terms of health and diseases. After embryonic development, adult stem and progenitor cells residing in tissues have the capacity to adjust their regenerative activities in response to diets and nutritional statuses to maintain tissue homeostasis. Stem cells utilize intracellular signaling mechanisms to convert nutritional signals into transcriptional regulatory actions to determine their fate. Metabolic pathways in diseases such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cancer also follow common pathways associated with nutrition.

With a multidisciplinary perspective, we aim to understand the relationship between stem cell-niche interactions and cancer progression through in vivo and in vitro studies to define and characterize endocrine and metabolic cell fate determinants in the context of nutrition perception, tissue homeostasis influencing cell fate, and adaptation to diet. We hope that this approach will inspire new therapeutic strategies."