Current research
Our research is highly diverse and includes topics ranging from embryogenesis, cell reprogramming and organogenesis to aging and stem cell engineering.
Our ongoing and future work will focus on new and emerging areas of developmental biology, such as epigenetics and genomics.
Model systems
We house one of the largest zebrafish facilities in the world. Along with zebrafish (D. rerio), we study several other model systems, including the fruit fly (D. melanogaster), nematode (C. elegans) and mouse (M. musculus), as well as tissue culture systems and embryonic stem cells.
Latest news
Thor Theunissen’s New Publication
Congratulations to Thor Theunissen’s Lab on their recent publication! 3D-cultured blastoids model human embryogenesis from pre-implantation to early gastrulation stages Karvas, R.M., Zemke, J.E., Ali, S.S., Sane, S., Dong, C., Fischer, L.A., Park, K., Upton, E., Wang, F., Park, K., Hao, S., Chew, B., Meyer, B., Zhou, C., Dietmann, S., and T.W. Theunissen (2023). Cell Stem Cell, 30, […]
David M. Ornitz’s New Publication
Congratulations to David M. Ornitz’s Lab on their recent publication! VEGF-B prevents excessive angiogenesis by inhibiting FGF2/FGFR1 pathway Lee C, Chen R, Sun G, Liu X, Lin X, He C, Xing L, Liu L, Jensen LD, Kumar A, Langer HF, Ren X, Zhang J, Huang L, Yin X, Kim J, Zhu J, Huang G, Li […]
Helen McNeill’s New Publication
Congratulations to Helen McNeill’s Lab on their recent publication! SOX9 Governs Gastric Mucous Neck Cell Identity and Is Required for Injury-Induced Metaplasia Willet SG, Thanintorn N, McNeill H, Huh SH, Ornitz DM, Huh WJ, Hoft SG, DiPaolo RJ, Mills JC.Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023;16(3):325-339. PMID: 37270061