Stem cell research has tremendous potential to transform medical practice, with the development of regenerative cellular therapies for many insidious diseases. Recent work shows that human skin cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent stem cells with all the properties of embryonic stem cells. These cells have tremendous implications for regenerative medicine, since it should now be possible to generate patient-specific, immunologically matched stem cells without using embryos. In this talk, Professor Dennis Clegg will explain where embryonic and adult stem cells come from, and describe the most recent findings in the exciting field ofRegenerative Medicine.Dennis Clegg earned his BS degree in biochemistry at UC Davis and his PhD in biochemistry at UC Berkeley, where he used emerging methods in recombinant DNA to study the sensory transduction systems of bacteria.As a Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Scholar at UCSF, he studied neural development and regeneration. He has continued this avenue of research since joining the UCSB faculty, with a current emphasis in stem cell research.Dr. Clegg is the recipient of the UCSB Distinguished Teaching Award in the Physical Sciences, and has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. He is a member of the UCSB Neuroscience Research Institute, and is currently Chair of the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Co-Director of the UCSB Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering.