Makiko Iwafuchi, PhD

The long-term goal of my laboratory is to shed light on the gene regulatory and epigenetic principles that control cell fate and cell state during embryonic development, cellular reprogramming, tissue homeostasis and regeneration, and disease pathogenesis. Ultimately, we aim to translate these fundamental discoveries into practical tools for precise control of cell fate and state, with broad potential applications in personalized disease modeling and regenerative medicine.

My scientific journey has been shaped by a deep fascination with the remarkable capabilities of pioneer transcription factors (TFs), which play critical roles in gene regulation and epigenome organization across diverse biological and pathological processes. During my postdoctoral training, we elucidated molecular mechanisms underlying the chromatin-opening activity of pioneer TFs during embryonic development and liver homeostasis.

As a principal investigator, my research program seeks to define the molecular mechanisms that regulate lineage-specific epigenomes, with a current focus on (1) pioneer TF-mediated DNA demethylation and Polycomb regulation and (2) cell signaling-mediated heterochromatin organization. My lab leverages human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) differentiation models together with cutting-edge approaches, including CRISPRi/d-based perturbations, genomic and proteomic profiling, and super-resolution expansion microscopy.