Jeffrey Bush
Professor and Chair
Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
I am passionate about understanding basic mechanisms of mammalian morphogenesis, particularly as they relate to human congenital conditions. My training is based in mouse genetics, ES cell culture, and methods for cellular, biochemical and in-vivo investigation of receptor tyrosine kinase signaling mechanisms. I began my lab at UCSF in 2011, where we use a battery of approaches anchored in mouse genetics (see Research) with a goal of achieving fundamental cellular-resolution understanding of how tissues take their stereotyped shapes and functions. Though broadly interested in multiple aspect of mamalian morphogenesis, our lab currently focuses on the craniofacial and foregut systems. I also serve as the Chair of the Department of Cell and Tissue Biology.
Emily Burch
Staff Research Associate I
Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
I provide technical support in the Bush lab by genotyping and managing a colony of genetically engineered mice. My scientific project currently focuses on revealing redudant functions of EPHA receptors in early mammalian development. I do not like cryosectioning.
Yoon-Gu Jang
Postdoctoral fellow, joint with Klein lab
Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
As a joint post-doc between the Bush lab and the lab of Ophir Klein, my research is focused on the generation of novel mouse models of human congenital disease using two approaches. First, through collaboration with the KnockOut Mouse Project (KOMP), International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC), and in collaboration with the Selleri lab at UCSF, we are obtaining novel mouse models that exhibit craniofacial malformations and digging into their underlying etiology. Second, I am modeling human disease by introducing genetic disease variants into mice using CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing. Through these approaches, I hope to better understand human structural malformations and their underlying molecular and developmental mechanisms.
Sherry Fang-Shiuan Leung
Junior Specialist
Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
I perform research on craniofacial and brain development, and provide technical support in CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in mice using an electroporation-based method. Finally, my research focuses on the function of a novel chaperone protein, Pfdn1, and I am currently studying its function in craniofacial development and cleft palate pathogenesis and brain development.
Ace Lewis
Specialist
Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
As a senior Specialist in the lab, I engage in research projects, management of resources, and provide scientific and technical expertise to other lab members. My own research project is focused on understanding the control of the separation of the trachea and the esophagus during development, perturbation of which results in a congenital condition called tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF). I am particularly interested in understanding how signaling by EPHRIN-B2/EPH receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathways regulate tracheal cell allocation and tracheal separation morphogenesis.
Luke Lucido
Ph.D. student, OCS program
Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
I am a UCSF OCS D.D.S; Ph.D. student doing my thesis work in the Bush lab. My work focuses on understanding how TGFß signaling controls cell behaviors to regulate upper lip fusion. I am currently utilizing mouse genetics and ex-vivo live imaging approaches.
Marisol O'neill
Postdoctoral fellow
Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
I work on understanding cell fate specification in the developing airway. I am using mouse genetic models and generating new models using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, which I am combining with single cell sequencing and imaging approaches to to dissect the transcriptional regulation of tracheal development.
Karin Shamardani
Ph.D. student, OCS program
Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
I am a student in the OCS program working toward my D.D.S.; Ph.D. My thesis project focuses on understanding how mesenchymal cell polarity is established and how it is coordinated during the morphogenesis of craniofacial structures that are initially composed largely of mesenchymal cell populations. I am particularly interested in how signaling through EPHRIN-B1 regulates mesenchymal cell movement and mesenchymal cell polarity during secondary palate development.
Camilla Teng
Postdoctoral fellow
Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
My work revolves around understanding how tissue fusion occurs in craniofacial development, which is particularly relevant to cleft lip and palate. I combine mouse genetics approaches with confocal live imaging of mouse embryos to understand the cellular mechanisms, particularly relating to lip and primary palate formation.
Lab alumni
Puja Agrawal
Role: Berkeley MCB, undergraduate research; staff research associate
Years: 2012-2014
Project: Expression patterns of the EPHA/EPHRIN-A signaling genes during craniofacial development
Went on to: M.D.; Ph.D. student at Medical College of Wisconsin
Coohleen Coombes
Role: Master's student, SF State Masters and CIRM bridges program
Years: 2019-2020
Project: Coordination of epithelial and mesenchymal cell fate specification during trachea development
Went on to: Ph.D. student at University of Washington, Molecular and Cellular Biology Program
Aqib Khan
Role: Master's student, California State University East Bay
Years: 2014-2015
Project: Regulation of cranial suture development by EPHRIN-B2
Went on to: Dental School at University of Minnesota
Seungil Kim
Role: Postdoctoral fellow
Years: 2012-2017
Project: Cellular mechanisms and live imaging of secondary palate fusion
Went on to: Senior Research Associate, Keck Medicine, University of Southern California
Abigail Kindberg
Role: Ph.D. student from the Biomedical Sciences program
Years: 2015-2021
Project: Regulation of cell contact and tissue organization by EPH/EPHRIN signaling
Went on to: Postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Scott Holley at Yale
Akela Kuwahara
Role: Ph.D. student from the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology program
Years: 2017-2020
Project: Transcriptional regulation of tracheoesophageal fate specification
Went on to: Research Scientist at Gordian Biotechnology, Fulbright Scholar, Visiting Professor,
Andrew Larson
Role: M.D. student researcher in Molecular Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Research Fellows program
Years: 2013-2015
Project: A novel human induced pluripotent stem cell model of craniofrontonasal syndrome
Went on to: UCSF Residency in Ear, Nose, Throat
Terren Niethamer
Role: Ph.D. student from the Biomedical Sciences program
Years: 2014-2018
Project: EPHRIN-B1 regulation of cell positioning in craniofacial develoment and congenital disease
Went on to: Postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Edward Morrisey at University of Pennsylvania
Audrey O'Neill
Role: Postdoctoral fellow
Years: 2012-2018
Project: EPHRIN-B1 cell segregation in early craniofacial development
Went on to: Clinical Genomics Scientist at Invitae
Teng Teng
Role: Postdoctoral fellow
Years: 2017-2021
Project: Live imaging of collective epithelial migration in tissue fusion
Went on to: Faculty, Hainan Medical University, China
Zer Vue
Role: Postdoctoral fellow
Years: 2018-2021
Project: EPH/EPHRIN regulation of cell polarity
Went on to: Postdoc in Molecular Physiology and Biophysics in Hinton Lab at Vanderbilt University