Cellular basis and signaling control of morphogenesis

Our lab studies fundamental mechanisms of mammalian morphogenesis across sub-cellular, cellular, tissue, and organismal scales and how these are controlled by cell signaling. Understanding this control has significance beyond its fundamental importance in development because birth defects are the leading cause of death for infants during the first year of life and few preventative or non-surgical therapies currently exist.

We utilize a wide-array of cell biological and genetic approaches to understand how basic mammalian tissue shapes are achieved and how this morphogenesis is coupled with cell fate specification. We combine mouse genetics together with live imaging, hESC, multiomic, and biophysical approaches to understand fundamental aspects of morphogenesis with a particular focus on craniofacial and foregut (trachea and esophagus) development. 

We are a part of the Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, the Program in Craniofacial Biology, the Institute for Human Genetics, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF. We participate in multiple graduate programs, including Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Biomedical Sciences, and Oral and Craniofacial Sciences.