Overview
It is estimated that 3-4% of babies born in this country have major organ defects caused by mistakes in the process of embryonic development (Table 1). Scientists in the Division of Developmental Biology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center study the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms of development with the aim of uncovering the basis of human birth defects so that they can be prevented or corrected.
The division fosters collaborative research between clinical and basic scientists to identify the scientific basis of specific congenital disorders in children and translate new knowledge into novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the care of children. In order to foster collaborative basic science/clinical research, many faculty in clinical divisions at Cincinnati Children’s also hold joint faculty appointments in the developmental biology division, and several clinical divisions have recruited basic science faculty in collaboration with Developmental Biology.
The Division of Developmental Biology is a center for basic research into organogenesis and stem cell research at Cincinnati Children’s and utilizes different model systems including the mouse, fruit fly, frog, chicken, nematode, and zebrafish to investigate basic questions in molecular, cellular and developmental biology. Many different technologies are used including molecular genetics, genomics, proteomics, structural analysis, experimental embryology, cell culture, high-resolution microscopic imaging and biochemistry.
The division is also a center for training in basic science for clinical faculty, residents, and fellows, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduates. The division is the administrative home for the University of Cincinnati Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program. In addition, faculty members in the division teach in the MD/PhD program, as well as in the Neuroscience and Cell Biology graduate programs.
