Developmental Biology
Developmental biologists in the Department of Molecular Biosciences seek
to understand the process by which single-celled zygotes give rise to
all of the differentiated cell and tissue types in adult multicellular
organisms. Researchers seek to understand how cells interact with each
other during development to become differentiated and to take on
distinct fates, as well as how cells migrate in the embryo and undergo
shape changes to form tissues and organs. A diverse array of genetic
model organisms are used, including the nematode worm C. elegans,
the fruit fly Drosophila, the zebrafish, and rodents (mice, rats).
Understanding how organisms normally develop is critical to
understanding the basis of developmental disorders and syndromes, and
mechanisms that normally govern development often go awry in diseases
such as cancer. Furthermore, stem cells, the undifferentiated
progenitors to tissues and organs, will be of increasing prominence in
the future of medicine. Current research emphases in the department
include developmental neurobiology, epithelial tissue organogenesis, and
cancer biology.
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