We study how different cell types coordinate with one another to maintain tissue function during development, regeneration, and repair.
Mammalian organs are complex structures composed of precise integration of cells from diverse lineages. Successful regeneration of a fully functional organ relies on timely and coordinated behaviors among different cell types and lineages.
We use a wide variety of approaches and techniques, including molecular, cellular, genetic and genomic tools, to investigate how stem cell behaviors are regulated by their downstream progeny, their niches, and at the systemic level. We aim to understand how these regulations occur in a precise manner to meet various physiological demands, and how deregulated stem cell behaviors lead to diseases. Skin is our primary model system, but we are also exploring other epithelial tissues to determine the extent to which these mechanisms are shared or separate.