The principal research activities of the Department of Developmental Biology are focused on attaining a mechanistic understanding of animal development, encompassing the earliest cell fate specification and movement processes that shape the early embryo, organogenesis, stem cell biology and engineering, tissue homeostasis and repair, and aging. Students and postdoctoral fellows work closely with faculty and staff on research projects and participate in weekly journal clubs and seminars at which recent literature and ongoing research are discussed.

The developmental biology faculty employ a variety of model organisms and cell-based systems to answer key outstanding questions about the fundamental mechanisms of development and to apply this knowledge to pathogenic mechanisms that lead to human birth defects and disease; they also use this knowledge to create improved future therapies. The department takes a broad view of developmental biology, with research groups studying diverse developmental processes (e.g., early embryogenesis, organogenesis, aging) and applying multidisciplinary approaches that include forward and reverse genetics, epigenetics, molecular and chemical methods, and computational methods. Embryogenesis is a fascinating process during which a fertilized egg undergoes divisions to form a mass of pluripotent cells that signal to one another to establish embryonic polarity, diverse cell types, and organs and that also undergo massive cell migrations and rearrangements to sculpt the embryonic body.

Research is also carried out on the processes involved in tissue degeneration, repair and regeneration, the biology of embryonic and adult stem cells, and cellular reprogramming. It is a particularly opportune time for developmental biology research, as recent technological breakthroughs in both animal model systems and genomics afford insights into developmental processes at the epigenetic, genetic and molecular levels and also enable the monitoring of cell behaviors in vivo. We are discovering the genes that are responsible for birth defects and defining connections between many adult human diseases and their origins during embryogenesis. The studies of stem cells, cellular reprogramming and regeneration are bringing us closer to curing human diseases, repairing damaged organs, and extending the boundaries of aging.

Website:

http://devbio.wustl.edu

Visit our website for more information about our faculty and their appointments.

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Developmental Biology Research Electives

During the fourth year, opportunities exist for many varieties of advanced clinical or research experiences.

Research in the Department of Developmental Biology occurs in a highly collegial atmosphere and involves interdisciplinary collaborations between the members of the department as well as among investigators from different departments and centers throughout the School of Medicine, the College of Arts & Sciences, and the McKelvey School of Engineering. Developmental biology faculty have leading roles in several research centers, including the Center of Regenerative Medicine, the Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, the Center for Cardiovascular Research, and the Hope Center. The department has a rich tradition of mentoring undergraduate, graduate and medical students as well as postdoctoral fellows. We are committed to creating a research environment in which our trainees reach their maximum scientific potential and career goals while addressing key outstanding questions and making important discoveries.

Medicinal chemistry of steroids.

Neurodevelopment, neurodegeneration, and axon regeneration in Drosophila and mouse.

Molecular mechanisms of aging and longevity in mammals, particularly focusing on the tissue-specific functions of the mammalian NAD-dependent deacetylase Sirt1 and the physiological significance of systemic NAD biosynthesis mediated by Nampt (nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase) in an intimate connection between metabolism and aging.

Molecular mechanisms of muscle development and regeneration.

Signal transduction during development; zinc metabolism; aging.

Transcriptional networks that regulate the formation of neurons in early embryos and embryonic stem cells; role of chromatin regulatory complexes in controlling pluripotency and differentiation.

Our lab interests are focused on the cadherin family of molecules and their regulation of cellular polarity, growth, tissue organization and metabolism. The overall goal of our research is to understand how tissue growth and tissue organization are coordinately regulated. We are focusing on how Fat cadherins function in Hippo pathway-regulated growth control, planar cell polarity tissue organization, and metabolism in flies, mice and hydra. A second, new focus is studying how the nuclear envelope regulates gene expression and fertility.

Our lab studies the regulation of stem cell biology in development, homeostasis and disease.

Spinal cord injury, degeneration and regeneration in zebrafish and mouse.

The focus of this lab is on stem cell and developmental biology. Our research focuses on dissecting the gene regulatory networks that define cell identity using the developing embryo and tissue regeneration as guides to engineer fate in vitro.

Structure, function and regulation of voltage-dependent ion channels in the cardiovascular and nervous systems; regulation of membrane excitability in health and disease.

Regulation of cardiovascular, lung, skeletal, and inner ear development, injury response, and regeneration by fibroblast growth factors.

Interindividual variability in aging and lifespan; developmental origins of longevity and adult health; quantitative microscopy and image analysis of C. elegans.

Genetic regulation of vertebrate embryogenesis; genetic mechanisms that regulate cell fates and movements during early vertebrate development using forward and reverse genetics in the zebrafish model and human embryonic stem cells.

The Theunissen lab seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate pluripotent stem cell states and to develop optimal conditions for the derivation, maintenance and differentiation of human ESCs and iPSCs. We also explore whether naive pluripotent stem cells can be used to model early human development and disease.

The Tsai lab is interested in control principles of tissue patterning and morphogenesis during embryo development. We seek to understand how cells integrate biochemical and mechanical inputs to make reliable decisions on what cell types they become, where they migrate, and what structure they collectively build.

Cell fate control by microRNAs; neuronal reprogramming to generate human neurons; chromatin controlling factors and genetic pathways that regulate neurogenesis.

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The Department of Developmental Biology also offers courses through the Graduate School. For a full listing of current courses offered, please visit the Washington University online course listings.

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