OUR
LAB

The Schaffer research group applies molecular and cellular engineering approaches to investigate biomedical problems focused on engineering of stem cell and gene therapeutics. Our group is a part of the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, and the Bioengineering Graduate Group at UC Berkeley.

Principal Investigator

David V. Schaffer

David Schaffer is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Bioengineering, and Neuroscience at University of California, Berkeley, where he also serves as the Director of the Berkeley Stem Cell Center and the Director of QB3-Berkeley. He graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1993. Afterward, he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned his Ph.D. also in Chemical Engineering in 1998 with Professor Doug Lauffenburger, while minoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. Finally, he conducted a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Fred Gage at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA, before moving to UC Berkeley in 1999.

Research

Gene Therapy

One of our major research thrusts is dedicated to understanding the biology and exploring the therapeutic potential of gene delivery, which serves as an effective means to control stem cells. Gene therapy can be defined as the introduction of genetic material to the cells of an individual for therapeutic benefit…

Stem Cells

Many of our efforts are dedicated to understanding the biology and exploring the therapeutic potential of stem cells. Stem cells are immature cells that exist in various locations of our bodies. Throughout our lifetimes, these cells divide and develop into the specialized cells that perform the functions necessary for organismal development and adult tissue function…

Publications

Carneiro, A. D., & Schaffer, D. v. (2024). Engineering novel adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) for improved delivery in the nervous system. Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 83, 102532. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CBPA.2024.102532 View PDF
Schieferecke, A. J., Lee, H., Chen, A., Kilaru, V., Krish Williams, J., & Schaffer, D. v. (2024). Evolving membrane-associated accessory protein variants for improved adeno-associated virus production. Molecular Therapy, 32(2), 340–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.YMTHE.2023.12.015/ATTACHMENT/BD3CDEC6-848E-41E7-8747-2DD28BD6F60D/MMC3.PDF View PDF
Guo, J., Lin, L. F., Oraskovich, S. v., Rivera de Jesús, J. A., Listgarten, J., & Schaffer, D. v. (2024). Computationally guided AAV engineering for enhanced gene delivery. Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 49(5), 457–469. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TIBS.2024.03.002/ASSET/4B686283-609D-453C-82AB-ABDBED7D7108/MAIN.ASSETS/GR5.JPG View PDF
Qiao, E., Baek, J., Fulmore, C., Song, M., Kim, T.-S., Kumar, S., & Schaffer, D. v. (2024). Spectrin mediates 3D-specific matrix stress-relaxation response in neural stem cell lineage commitment. Science Advances, 10(31), 8232. https://doi.org/10.1126/SCIADV.ADK8232 View PDF
Baek, J., Kumar, S., & Schaffer, D. v. (2024). Dynamic light-responsive RhoA activity regulates mechanosensitive stem cell fate decision in 3D matrices. Biomaterials Advances, 213836. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOADV.2024.213836 View PDF