Work in my laboratory has been focused on understanding the origin of polarity and control of cell fate in development. In recent years it has become clear that genes that have been implicated in human disease play important role in these processes. The goals of our research are to improve understanding of the mechanisms underlying these key biological processes and specifically to gain insight into the function of the “disease” genes that have a significant influence on human health. Our current work is focused on the Notch- and the Dystroglycan-pathways. In addition, we are interested in stem cell division, self-renewal and maintenanc. In particular, we have recently shown that microRNAs regulate stem cell division and are now analyzing the key microRNAs in the process and investigating their cell cycle targets. These basic studies are directed towards a long term goal of stem cell based therapeutics.
