Stauprimide is an indolocarbazole semi-synthetic small molecule shown to significantly increase the efficiency of directed embryonic stem cell differentiation. Stauprimide inhibits the nuclear localization of NME2, blocking and downregulating c-Myc expression. The expression of c-Myc is crucial for embryonic stem cell self-renewal, and intervention by Stauprimide allows for more efficient lineage-specific differentiation. NME2 is also indicated to be upregulated in certain cancers, indicating further application for the blocking action of Stauprimide.
