Photo: Spermatogenesis in the planarian /Schmditea mediterranea/. Nuclei are visualized by Hoechst staining (gray) and the mitotic marker phospho-histone H3 is visualized in red. Maximum-intensity projection of a laser-scanning confocal image series. Image by Tracy Chong (Newmark lab).
The overall goal of the research in the Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine focus group is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying embryonic development and regeneration in the adult. This large and diverse focus group consists of faculty from departments and schools across campus. Our faculty are engaged in a wide variety of research directions ranging from basic research to elucidate the molecular mechanisms governing development and regeneration to translational goal of using stem cells as therapeutic agents to treat disease. Group members are exploring the mechanisms by which transcription factors, cytosolic regulators and extracellular cues determine cell fate, cell movements and patterning during development and regeneration. The group also has an emphasis on stem cell biology, exploring questions on self-renewal and differentiation during embryonic development and regeneration, developmental timing and using stem cells in tissue repair and the treatment of disease.
Collectively, the group uses a wide spectrum of model organisms in their research including nematodes, flies, zebrafish, planaria, amphibians and mice, as well as embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. Students have the opportunity to use a wide variety of genetic, biochemical, molecular and genomic approaches including state of the art imaging, transgenic and gene editing, and genomic and bioinformatics technologies in their research.
There is a monthly Developmental Biology Student/Postdoc seminar series in which students and postdoctoral fellows present their research to a broad audience of developmental and regenerative biologists. Contact Junsu Kang at junsu.kang@wisc.edu for more information or to receive seminar notifications.
Focus Group Chair Junsu Kang
Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Regeneration, zebrafish, enhancer, fin, heart
junsu.kang@wisc.edu
Focus Group Members
Richard Amasino
Credentials: Biochemistry Department
Position title: Seasonal control of flowering
Email:
amasino
Jean-Michel Ané
Credentials: Department of Bacteriology
Position title: Symbiotic plant-microbe associations (nodulation and mycorrhization)
Email:
jane
Anjon Audhya
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Position title: Mechanisms of membrane trafficking; live cell imaging techniques
Email:
audhya
Arash Bashirullah
Credentials: Pharmacy Department
Position title: Developmental regulation of endocrine and exocrine biology
Email:
bashirullah
William (Bill) Bement
Credentials: Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology & Integrative Biology Department
Position title: Signal transduction, cell division, and cytoskeleton
Email:
wmbement
Anita Bhattacharyya
Credentials: Cell and Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Modeling neurodevelopmental disorders with human stem cells.
Alexander Birbrair
Credentials: Dermatology
Position title: Mechanisms regulating cancer progression
Email:
birbrair
Seth Blair
Credentials: Integrative Biology Department
Position title: Development and signaling in Drosophila
Email:
ssblair
Barak Blum
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Functional beta cell maturation
Email:
bblum4
Grace Boekhoff-Falk
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Limb and neural development
Email:
boekhofffalk
Marjorie Brand
Credentials: Cell and Regenerative Biology
Position title: Leukemia; Blood differentiation; Gene regulation; Genomics; Proteomics
Email:
mbrand3
Emery Bresnick
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Normal and malignant hematopoiesis; epigenetics; molecular medicine
Email:
ehbresni
Matthew E. Brown
Credentials: Surgery
Position title: Pluripotent Stem Cell Immunogenicity
Email:
brownm
Michael Cahill
Credentials: Comparative Biosciences Department
Position title: Molecular and biochemical mechanisms of synapse morphogenesis
Email:
michael.cahill
Qiang Chang
Credentials: Medical Genetics Department
Position title: Epigenetic regulation of brain function
Email:
qchang
Josh Coon
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry
Position title: Systems and quantitative biology
Email:
jcoon
Dawn Davis
Credentials: Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
Position title: Pancreatic islet biology
Email:
dbd
Erik Dent
Credentials: Neuroscience Department
Position title: Regulation of the cytoskeleton in neuronal differentiation
Email:
ewdent
Jeffrey Dilworth
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology
Position title: Epigenetics; Muscle Regeneration; Stem Cell Biology; Gene Expression
Email:
fdilworth
Daniela Drummond Barbosa
Credentials: Genetics
Position title: Physiology of stem cell lineages
Email:
ddbarbosa
David Ehrlich
Credentials: Integrative Biology Department
Position title: Neural control of movement
Email:
dehrlich
Feyza Engin
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Position title: Endoplasmic reticulum stress, organelle dysfunction, unfolded protein response, beta cell function and diabetes
Email:
fengin
David Gamm
Credentials: Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Department
Position title: Retinal stem cell biology
Email:
dgamm
Xin Gao
Credentials: Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Department
Position title: Hematopoietic stem cells; bone marrow microenvironment; blood diseases
Email:
xgao37
Ying Ge
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Systems biology, cardiac disease and regeneration
Email:
ge2
Simon Gilroy
Credentials: Botany Department
Position title: Plant cell biology and signal transduction
Email:
sgilroy
Alexey Glukhov
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Cardiac electrophysiology, biophysics, cellular and molecular biology of cardiomyocytes, cardiac arrhythmias and pathophysiology
Email:
aglukhov
Timothy Gomez
Credentials: Neuroscience Department
Position title: Regulation of axon guidance
Email:
tmgomez
Anne Griep
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Molecular regulation of mammalian eye development
Email:
aegriep
Yevgenya Grinblat
Credentials: Integrative Biology Department
Position title: Genetic basis of neural development
Email:
ygrinblat
Mary Halloran
Credentials: Integrative Biology Department
Position title: Mechanisms of axon guidance and neural crest cell migration during zebrafish neural development
Email:
mchalloran
Jeffrey Hardin
Credentials: Integrative Biology Department
Position title: Morphogenesis and pattern formation during early development
Email:
jdhardin
Melissa Harrison
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Position title: Zygotic genome transcriptional activation
Email:
mharrison3
Mrinalini Hoon
Credentials: Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Department
Position title: Mechanisms regulating retinal circuit organization
Email:
mhoon
Zhen Huang
Credentials: Neurology Department
Position title: Cerebral cortex development, neuronel migration, dendrite development
Email:
z.huang
Christina Hull
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Position title: Human fungal pathogen development & pathogenesis
Email:
cmhull
Joan Jorgensen
Credentials: Comparative Biosciences Department
Position title: Molecular and developmental origins of sex differentiation
Email:
joan.jorgensen
Timothy Kamp
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Mechanisms of arrhythmias and cardiac regeneration
Email:
tjk
Nancy Keller
Credentials: Medical Microbiology & Immunology Department
Position title: Fungi, secondary metabolism, pathogenesis
Email:
npkeller
Michelle Kimple
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: GPCRs in pancreatic islet biology
Email:
mkimple
Randall Kimple
Credentials: Human Oncology Department
Position title: Cell therapy, radiation biology, cancer therapeutics
Email:
rkimple
Melissa Kinney
Credentials: Biomedical Engineering Department
Position title: Stem cell systems biology
Email:
melissa.kinney
Wan-Ju Li
Credentials: Orthopedics & Rehabilitation Department
Position title: Chondrogenic differentiation of iPSCs via neural crest lineage
Email:
li
Robert Lipinski
Credentials: Comparative Biosciences Department
Position title: Craniofacial development and birth defects
Email:
robert.lipinski
Bo Liu
Credentials: Surgery Department
Position title: Cell death, signal transduction, extracellular matrix, inflammation, vascular disease
Email:
bliu24
Ahmed Mahmoud
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Mammalian Heart Regeneration
Email:
aimahmoud
Kristyn Masters
Credentials: Biomedical Engineering Department
Position title: In vitro disease modeling
Email:
kmasters
Daniel Matson
Credentials: Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Position title: Transcription Factors and Replication Origins
Email:
drmatson
Sara McCoy
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Mesenchymal stromal cell immunobiology
Email:
ssmccoy
Darcie Moore
Credentials: Neuroscience Department
Position title: Neural stem cells and aging
Email:
darcie.moore
Jeremy Nance
Credentials: Cell and Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Mechanisms of morphogenesis and organogenesis
Email:
jfnance
Phillip Newmark
Credentials: Integrative Biology Department
Position title: Regeneration and germ cell development in flatworms
Email:
pnewmark
Jon Odorico
Credentials: Surgery Department
Position title: Embryonic stem cells to generate insulin producing cells for the treatment of diabetes and to study pancreatic islet development
Email:
jon
Claire O'Leary
Credentials: Pediatrics
Position title: Tuft cells, immunology, microbiome
Email:
coleary
Francisco Pelegri
Credentials: Genetics Department
Position title: Genetic control of zebrafish embryogenesis
Email:
fjpelegri
Andrea Putnam
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry
Position title: RNA condensates in development
Email:
aaputnam
Abbas Rizvi
Credentials: Neuroscience Department
Position title: Single cell and spatially resolved studies of gene regulation
Email:
ahrizvi
Krishanu Saha
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Position title: Human stem cell engineering
Email:
ksaha
Prashant Sharma
Credentials: Integrative Biology Department
Position title: Biodiversity in invertebrates
Email:
psharma37
Michael Sheets
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Position title: Molecular mechanisms regulating early vertebrate development
Email:
mdsheets
Nader Sheibani
Credentials: Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Department
Position title: Cell adhesion and signaling in vascular cells
Email:
nsheibanikar
Ahna Skop
Credentials: Genetics Department
Position title: Role of midbody RNAs in cell proliferation, pluripotency, and neurodegeneration
Email:
skop
Igor Slukvin
Credentials: Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Department
Position title: Hematopoietic development from pluripotent stem cells; de novo generation of hematopoietic stem cells
Email:
islukvin
Andre Sousa
Credentials: Neuroscience Department
Position title: Molecular and cellular mechanisms of human brain development and evolution.
Email:
andre.sousa
Rupa Sridharan
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Epigenetics, somatic cell reprogramming, cell fate change
Email:
rsridharan2
Michael Sussman
Credentials: Biochemistry Department
Position title: Genome technologies applied to the plasma membrane of eukaryotes: signal transduction and bioenergetics
Email:
msussman
John Svaren
Credentials: Comparative Biosciences Department
Position title: Transcriptional regulation of peripheral nerve myelination
Email:
jpsvaren
Owen Tamplin
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: The hematopoietic stem cell niche
Email:
tamplin
Chad Vezina
Credentials: Comparative Biosciences Department
Position title: Urinary dysfunction in aging men
Email:
cmvezina
Han Wang
Credentials: Integrative Biology Department
Position title: Neurogenetics and Behavior
Email:
han.wang
David Wassarman
Credentials: Medical Genetics Department
Position title: Neurodegeneration in Drosophila
Email:
dawassarman
Deneen Wellik
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Hox genes, Organogenesis, Regeneration, mesenchymal stem cells, Mouse genetics
Email:
wellik
Donna Werling
Credentials: Genetics Department
Position title: Genomics of brain development and disorders
Email:
dwerling
Justin Wolter
Credentials: Genetics Department
Position title: Molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders
Email:
wolter4
Fei Zhao
Credentials: Comparative Biosciences Department
Position title: Sexual differentiation of reproductive tracts
Email:
fei.zhao
Xinyu Zhao
Credentials: Neuroscience Department
Position title: Epigenetic regulation, neural stem cells, neurodevelopment, noncoding RNA, RNA binding protein, learning and memory
Email:
xinyu.zhao