Developmental Biology

Faculty Labs

The Aronow Lab advances genomic medicine through collaborative, translational bioinformatics research, developing innovative algorithms, tools, and informatics systems that integrate diverse data and disciplines to generate high‑impact biomedical insights.

The Barske Lab studies the formation and patterning of the skeleton to better understand the disturbed developmental processes underlying skeletal disorders in pediatric patients.

Our lab aims to understand the molecular forces that drive craniofacial development and elucidate the molecular basis for diseases that affect the craniofacial complex.

Our lab investigates how denervation disrupts neonatal muscle growth to cause contractures in conditions like neonatal brachial plexus injury and cerebral palsy, with the goal of uncovering mechanisms that can lead to effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Our lab studies the neural circuits that control breathing and develops strategies to restore respiratory function in neurological, neuromuscular, and spinal cord disorders.

Our lab studies the genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms of gonad development and function to better understand differences of sexual development, infertility, and reproductive health.

Our lab investigates the mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapies for kidney diseases, including acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, and lupus nephritis, through integrated genomic and proteomic research.

Our lab studies the signaling networks that regulate uterine biology, pregnancy, and reproductive cancers to better understand fertility, aging, and disease.

Our lab is broadly interested in understanding how the body and brain encode environmental stimuli, such as daily changes in light and feeding patterns, to timely coordinate physiology and behavior.

The human body’s vast diversity of specialized cells arises from a single shared genome, and the Gebelein Lab investigates how transcription factors differentially interpret this genome to direct cell, tissue, and organ development using conserved genetic pathways across flies, mice, and human stem cell models.

The Huppert Lab studies the molecular and cellular signals that control liver development, bile duct formation, and regeneration, with the goal of understanding and treating congenital and chronic liver diseases.

The Iwafuchi Lab seeks to uncover how pioneer transcription factors and chromatin regulation drive dramatic cell fate changes during development, regeneration, and disease, with the ultimate goal of enabling precise engineering of cell identities.

The Jiang Laboratory investigates the genetic and molecular mechanisms of mammalian organogenesis—particularly craniofacial development—using mouse genetic, embryological, and genomic approaches to advance understanding and prevention of human birth defects.

Our lab investigates the genetic and developmental basis of craniofacial disorders to uncover gene regulatory mechanisms that can advance their diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Our lab focuses on understanding mammalian eye development by investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of lens induction and morphogenesis, as well as vascular regression and angiogenesis.

We investigate how post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA governs spermatogonial stem cell differentiation and meiotic entry, leveraging single-cell and synchronized spermatogenesis approaches to advance understanding and treatment of infertility and testicular disease.

Our lab studies skeletal muscle development, regeneration, and cell fusion to better understand muscle function, aging, and disease and to develop new therapeutic approaches.

Nakamura Lab's primary interest is the pathogenesis of obesity and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Our lab studies how fibroblasts regulate lung development, injury, and regeneration, with a focus on transcriptional and signaling networks that drive bronchopulmonary dysplasia and lung repair.

The Takebe Lab develops complex human organoid models to study organ formation and advance new therapies, especially for pediatric intractable diseases and congenital liver disorders.

The Tchieu Research Lab uses human pluripotent stem cell–derived glial cells and advanced brain organoid models to study human neurodevelopment and uncover how astrocytes and microglia contribute to neurological disease.

The VanDussen Lab studies how intestinal epithelial cells regulate gut health and Crohn’s disease, focusing on how disrupted communication with the immune system, diet and the microbiome drives inflammation.

Our lab studies how cardiac progenitor cell selection and signaling pathways regulate heart development to better understand congenital heart defects and improve strategies for cardiac regeneration and repair.

Our lab uses computational approaches to uncover how genes are turned on and off, revealing the regulatory mechanisms that drive human traits and disease.

The Wells Lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms of endoderm organ development and function, using embryology, animal models, and human stem cell–derived organoids to understand and treat diabetes and gastrointestinal diseases.

Our lab studies lung development and disease by using transgenic mouse models, gene targeting, and molecular approaches to uncover mechanisms of epithelial differentiation, surfactant regulation, and respiratory disorders.

The Xue Lab pioneers bioengineering strategies—spanning microfluidics, 3D bioprinting, optogenetics, and cell mechanics—to precisely control stem cell environments and build next-generation human organoids, with a particular focus on reproducible and complex neural organoids that model regional brain development and inter-regional interactions.

The Yin Lab studies the mechanisms of liver development, homeostasis and inherited chronic intrahepatic cholestasis, using animal models and genetic tools to understand known mutations, discover new disease genes and develop targeted therapies.

Our lab investigates how cellular metabolism directs cell fate decisions and migration during embryonic development to understand mechanisms underlying tissue formation and birth defects.

The Zorn Lab investigates the molecular and gene regulatory mechanisms governing embryonic development of digestive and respiratory organs by integrating animal models, human pluripotent stem cells, and advanced genomics to advance developmental biology and regenerative medicine.