Welcome to the Wylie-Heasman Lab
The Wylie/Heasman lab is large and diverse. We study the fundamental mechanisms of normal development, using mouse and the frog, Xenopus laevis embryos as our model systems. We also have several translational projects in the lab, in collaboration with clinical and bio-engineering colleagues, designed to identify fundamental aspects of tissue growth and differentiation that can be used to address clinical problems.
Our basic science projects include examining the control of basic body axis formation, using Xenopus as a model; analysing the control of actin assembly in morphogenetic movements, also using Xenopus; and the control of the migration of early stem cell populations in the embryo, using primordial germ cell migration in mouse as a model system.
Our translational projects include four projects using the mouse model: addressing the question of the control of intervertebral disc growth and differentiation (in collaboration with the Orthopedics Division), a study of the way cranial nerve damage during birth affects muscle differentiaion (in collaboration with the Orthopedics Division), an investigation of the control of tendon differentiation and it application to the generation of functionally engineered tendon from stem cells in vitro (in collaboration with the Department of Biomedical Engineering). There is also a small group studying bladder differentiation using the Xenopus model (in collaboration with the Division of Urology).
Please follow the links to brief descriptions of each of these projects. We believe that having postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and technicians working on basic and applied projects in shared lab space, benefits both the fundamental and translational studies. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, one of the world’s largest childrens’ hospitals, is an ideal place for this endeavor.
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