Research Faculty
Meet the Developmental Biology Team
Director
Research Interests
Development of the digestive and respiratory systems. Learn more about CuSTOM.
Director, Associate
Research Interests
Craniofacial development
Primary Affiliation
Research Interests
Craniofacial development
Research Interests
Developmental neurobiology; transcriptional control of neural cell subtype specification; neuronal circuit formation
Cristina Cebrian, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Zhiyuan "ZY" Chen, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Developmental biology; reproductive sciences; epigenetics
Research Interests
Prostaglandin-nuclear receptor-angiogenic signaling axis during embryo implantation with special emphasis to cPLA2α-Cox2-PPARδ-Vegf...
Research Interests
Developmental genetics; Transcriptional regulation; Modeling disease alleles in mice, Drosophila, and human stem cells.
Research Interests
Molecular mechanisms involved in normal development and in disease states using in vitro (cellular and solution biochemistry and structural...
Research Interests
CRISPR; transgenic mice; gene editing; reproduction; germ cells
Makiko Iwafuchi, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Chromatin regulation; pioneer transcription factors; cell programming and reprogramming
Research Interests
Early vertebrate patterning; germ layer formation
Raphael Kopan, PhD
Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Notch signaling; kidney organogenesis; skin organogenesis; TSLP signaling in cancer
Rathnakumar Kumaragurubaran, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
To uncover gene and genome regulatory mechanisms that are relevant to developmental and disease processes.
Christopher N. Mayhew, PhD
Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Pluripotent stem cell biology; disease modeling with human iPSCs; hPSC-derived organoids
Maria M. Mikedis, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Reproductive sciences; spermatogenesis; germ cell biology; developmental biology
Research Interests
Female reproductive biology; endocannabinoid signaling in reproduction
Research Interests
Autism spectrum disorders; neurodevelopmental disorders; human pluripotent stem cells; directed differentiation; astrocytes; oligodendrocytes;...
Research Interests
Understanding the development of the pancreas, and gastrointestinal organs; generating 3-dimensional human tissues from pluripotent stem cells and...
Research Interests
Stem cell biology; organoids; neural development; tissue morphogenesis; bioengineering; microfluidics
Research Interests
Development of the digestive and respiratory systems. Learn more about CuSTOM.
Secondary Affiliation
Research Interests
Craniofacial development; genetic engineering
Research Interests
Brachial plexus injury and the growth and development of muscles; minimally invasive surgical treatment for shoulder contracture in brachial plexus...
Steven A. Crone, PhD
Associate Professor, UC Department of Neurosurgery
Research Interests
Neural circuits that control breathing; airway protection; spinal cord injury; neurodegenerative disease; sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP)
Diego Fernandez, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Ophthalmology
Research Interests
Neuroscience sensory and circadian biology; environmentally-induced disorders
Stacey S. Huppert, PhD
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Hepatic cell plasticity, development and regeneration; reprogramming; three-dimensional hepatic architecture; Notch signaling; hepatobiliary disease
Research Interests
The OPN3, OPN4 and OPN5 light sensing pathways in development, homeostasis and disease
Research Interests
Neoplastic stem cells; malignant glioma; pediatric brain tumors such as medulloblastoma, ependymoma, and diffuse midline gliomas (DMG / DIPG); tumor...
Kyle McCracken, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Kidney development; stem cell differentiation and organoids; tissue engineering and morphogenesis; kidney pathophysiology
Douglas Millay , PhD
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Structure and function of the gastrointestinal tract in the context of childhood nutrition, growth, immunity, and host-microbe interactions
Takahisa Nakamura, PhD
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Lung organoids; lung development and regeneration; fibroblast function in development, regeneration and fibrosis; bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD);...
Juan Sanchez Gurmaches, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Adipocytes; brown and white fat; animal models; adipocyte development and heterogeneity; insulin signaling; animal models
Meredith P. Schuh, MD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Takanori Takebe, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Organoid; organogenesis; stem cell biology; transplantation; drug development
Visit the Takebe Research Lab.
Kelli L. VanDussen, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Intestinal epithelium; inflammatory bowel disease; primary cell culture; basic research; translational research
Ronald R. Waclaw, PhD
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Forebrain progenitor cell differentiation; “RASopathy” genes
Joshua S. Waxman, PhD
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Cardiac development; heart regeneration; congenital heart defects; molecular signaling pathways; transcription factors; retinoid acid signaling;...
Research Interests
Gene regulation Bioinformatics Functional Genomics
Research Interests
Liver biology; cholestasis; molecular genetics of pediatric liver diseases
Amanda L. Zacharias, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Embryonic metabolism; morphogenesis; Caenorhabditis elegans
William J. Zacharias, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
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