Development, Degeneration, and Aging
Jeanne Nerbonne, PhD
Alumni Endowed Professor of Developmental Biology and of Medicine, Division of Cardiology
- Email: jnerbonne@wustl.edu
The Nerbonne lab studies the molecular mechanisms controlling the properties, the cell surface expression, and the function of voltage (K+) gated channels in the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Regis O'Keefe, MD, PhD
Fred C. Reynolds Professor and Head of Orthopedic Surgery
- Email: okeefer@wustl.edu
The O’Keefe lab studies skeletal development and repair, cancer, and inflammatory diseases of bone.
Arin Oestreich
Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
- Email: aoestreich@wustl.edu
Dr. Oestreich's research focuses on how maternal obesity influences pregnancy health, fetal skeletal development, and the long term metabolic and musculoskeletal health of the adult offspring.
David Ornitz, MD, PhD
Alumni Endowed Professor of Developmental Biology
- Email: dornitz@wustl.edu
The Ornitz lab investigates the functions of Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs), their interactions with other signaling pathways, and their role in tissue regeneration, response to injury, and cancer.
B. Duygu Ozpolat, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
- Email: bdozpolat@wustl.edu
If humans lose their reproductive cells (i.e eggs and sperm) they become infertile, in contrast, some animals regenerate their reproductive cells and reproductive organs. The Ozpolat lab's goal is to uncover the mechanisms of reproductive cell and tissue regeneration by identifying the cell types and genes involved in this process, which will inform regenerative medicine approaches.
Randal Paniello, MD, PhD
Professor, Otolaryngology
- Email: paniellor@wustl.edu
The Paniello lab is interested in using muscle stem cells to repair and treat vocal cord paralysis.
Rohit Pappu, PhD
Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
- Email: pappu@wustl.edu
The Pappu Lab studies the molecular basis of neurodegeneration, phase transitions that lead to protein and RNA condensates driven by multivalent molecules, the biophysics of intrinsically disordered proteins, and design of responsive, protein-based biomaterials. This includes multiscale computer simulations, adaptations and developments of polymer physics theories, in vitro experiments, and collaborations that enable molecular and cellular level investigations.
Cecilia Pascual-Garrido, MD
Assistant Professor, Orthopedic Surgery
- Email: cpascualgarrido@wustl.edu
Dr. Pascual-Garrido’s lab focuses on stem cell therapies for cartilage regeneration.
Debabrata Patra, PhD
Associate Professor, Orthopedic Surgery
- Email: patrad@wudosis.wustl.edu
The Patra lab is interested in identifying and analyzing regulatory pathways that impact skeletal development. In particular, the lab is exploring roles for the proprotein convertase Site-1 protease (S1P) in cartilage, bone, and spine development.
M. Farooq Rai, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
- Email: rai.m@wustl.edu
Dr. Rai is interested in understanding the early molecular mechanisms that orchestrate changes in knee joint after injury and lead to the development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis.
Gwendalyn Randolph, PhD
Professor, Pathology and Immunology
- Email: GRandolph@path.wustl.edu
The Randolph Lab studies the development and diseases associated with monocytes, monocyte-derived cells, dendritic cells and vascular and lymphatic vessel biology.
Michael Rauchman, MDCM
Professor, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine
- Email: mrauchma@wustl.edu
Dr. Rauchman’s research focuses on understanding the molecular and genetic basis of mammalian kidney development, how disruption of specific pathways leads to abnormal development of this organ, the consequences of injury to adult kidney and the relationship between genetic mutations in humans and the development of future cardiovascular and renal disorders in humans.
Maria Remedi, PhD
Assistant Professor; Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipid Research; Department of Medicine
- Email: mremedi@wustl.edu
The major focus of the Remedi laboratory is to study in vivo physiology in various mouse models of diabetes to unravel the underlying mechanisms of pancreatic β-cell failure and their consequences in both pancreatic and extra-pancreatic tissues.
Stacey Rentschler, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine
- Email: stacey.rentschler@wustl.edu
The Rentschler lab studies the molecular mechanisms of conduction cell specification and conductive disorders in heart biology.
Deborah Rubin, MD
William B. Kountz Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine
- Email: drubin@wustl.edu
The Rubin lab studies the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of intestinal epithelial cell proliferation, differentiation, and carcinogenesis.
David Rudnick, PhD
Associate Professor, Pediatrics
- Email: Rudnick_D@kids.wustl.edu
The Rudnick lab seeks to gain an understanding of liver regeneration to improve the treatment of children with liver disease.
Mark Sands, PhD
Professor, Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine
- Email: mssands@wustl.edu
The Sands lab studies the underlying pathophysiology of lysosomal storage diseases and develops therapies to treat them.
Timothy Schedl, PhD
Professor, Genetics
- Email: ts@wustl.edu
The Schedl lab investigates how stem cells choose between self renewal and differentiation and how sex determination is controlled.
Erica L Scheller, DDS, PhD
Executive Director, Center of Regenerative Medicine; Assistant Professor of Medicine; Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
- Email: scheller@wustl.edu
The Scheller laboratory synthesizes concepts from cell biology, physiology, and bioengineering to study the relationships between the nervous system and the skeleton. They have a directed interest in understanding how neural signals contribute to skeletal homeostasis, and how perturbations to this system contribute to bone loss, impaired healing, and altered regeneration. They also seek to understand how skeletal cells and proteins coordinate and regulate nerve regeneration in and on the bone.
Laura Schuettpelz, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Pediatrics
- Email: schuettpelz_l@wustl.edu
The Schuettpelz lab studies how inflammatory signals regulate hematopoietic stem cells.
Lori Setton, PhD
Lucy & Stanley Lopata Distinguished Professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering
- Email: setton@wustl.edu
The Setton Lab focuses on engineering and design of novel materials and drug depots to support regeneration of tissues of the musculoskeletal system.
Lavinia Sheets, PhD
Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology
- Email: sheetsl@wustl.edu
The Sheets lab uses zebrafish as a model system to understand how senory hair cells of the auditory system develop, degenerate, and regenerate. A main focus of the lab is to identify biological pathways that promote nerve regeneration and hair-cell reinnervation with the goal of providing information toward clinical regenerative therapies.
Hua Shen, PhD
Instructor, Orthopedic Surgery
- Email: hshen22@wustl.edu
Dr. Shen's group studies biological and mechanical factors that regulate tendon development, injury, and repair, as a basis to develop new therapeutic approaches to improve tendon healing.
Jie Shen, PhD
Assistant Professor, Orthopedic Surgery
- Email: shen.j@wustl.edu
The Shen laboratory recently works on epigenetics of degenerative and regenerative processes in the muscuoskeletal system, e.g. osteoarthritis and bony fracture. They employ unbiased approaches to study the genomic and epigenomic alterations in skeletal diseases.
Matthew Silva, PhD
Julia and Walter R. Peterson Orthopaedic Research Professor, Orthopedic Surgery
- Email: silvam@wustl.edu
The Silva lab studies the mechanical and molecular factors that regulate loading-induced bone formation and bone injury response and repair.
Jim Skeath, PhD
Professor, Genetics
- Email: jskeath@wustl.edu
The Skeath lab investigatesthe genetic and molecular basis of both asymmetric divisions and cell-type specific differentiation programs through the use of the Drosophila model system, focusing primarily on nervous system development.
Alison Snyder-Warwick, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery
The Snyder-Warwick Lab investigates cellular signaling at the neuromuscular junction and the roles of terminal Schwann cells during development, disease, neural regeneration and muscular reinnervation, and aging. The goals of our work are to identify the mechanisms of terminal Schwann cell function that may be manipulated into novel translational applications for clinical management of patients with nerve pathology.
Lilianna Solnica-Krezel, PhD
Co-Director, Center of Regenerative Medicine; Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor and Head of Developmental Biology
- Email: solnical@wustl.edu
The Solnica-Krezel lab studies the cellular and molecular genetic mechanisms underlying vertebrate gastrulation in zebrafish and human embryonic stem cells.
Stephen Stone, MD
Instructor, Department of Pediatrics
- Email: sstone@wustl.edu
Dr. Stone studies the role of Fibroblast Growth Factors in Severe Insulin Resistance Syndromes. His research uses both murine and stem cell based models to better understand these rare and debilitating conditions, with the ultimate goal of providing new therapies for these patients.
Amber Stratman, PhD
Assistant Professor, Cell Biology & Physiology
- Email: a.stratman@wustl.edu
The Stratman Lab is interesting in the mechanosensitive mechanisms that regulate tissue development and patterning, particularly of the cardiovascular system. Utilizing zebrafish as a model, their goals focus on understanding developmental pathways that are reactivated during disease.
Simon Tang, PhD
Associate Professor, Orthopedic Surgery
- Email: simon.tang@wustl.edu
The Tang lab integrates engineering and biology approaches to investigate mechanisms of degeneration relating to bone fragility and intervertebral disc degeneration, with an emphasis in the role of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) and RAGE signaling on the cells and tissues of the skeletal system.
Steven Teitelbaum, MD
Wilma and Roswell Messing Professor, Pathology & Immunology
- Email: teitelbs@path.wustl.edu
The Teitelbaum lab investigates osteoclast development, function, and pathologies.
Thorold Theunissen, PhD
Assistant Professor, Developmental Biology; co-Director Human Cells, Tissues, and Organoids Core
- Email: t.theunissen@wustl.edu
The Theunissen lab investigates the molecular mechanisms regulating distinct pluripotent stem cell states and their applications in regenerative medicine.
Tony Tsai, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Developmental Biology
- Email: tonytsai@wustl.edu
The Tsai Lab is interested in the interplay between mechanical and biochemical signals underlying robust pattern formation and morphogenesis in the zebrafish embryos.
Fumihiko Urano, MD, PhD
Samuel E. Schechter Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research, Department of Medicine
- Email: urano@wustl.edu
The Urano lab studies the molecular mechanisms of Wolfram Syndrome and investigates potential therapies.
Deborah Veis, MD, PhD
Professor, Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases, Department of Medicine
- Email: dveis@wustl.edu
The Veis Laboratory studies NF-kB signaling pathways in bone cells, particularly in the context of pathological bone loss, such as in osteoporosis, inflammatory arthritis, and cancer metastasis to bone. A major focus is on the role of the alternative/non-canonical NF-kB pathway in osteoclasts, where it controls both differentiation and activity.
Jessica Wagenseil, DSc
Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
- Email: jessica.wagenseil@wustl.edu
The Wagenseil lab studies how mechanical stimuli regulate large artery formation and remodeling in development and disease.
Leyao Wang, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology
- Email: leyao.wang@wustl.edu
Dr. Leyao Wang's research focuses on lung microbiota and their role in lung inflammation and asthma. One of the lab's current direction is to establish a lung organoid system so that they can use this model to investigate the interactions between microbes and epithelium.
Ting Wang, PhD
Sanford C. and Karen P. Loewentheil Distinguished Professor, Genetics
- Email: twang@genetics.wustl.edu
The Wang lab focuses on understanding genetic and epigenetic factors that determine cell fate, including cell fate decision in normal development and differentiation, abnormal cell fate choice in cancer, and how specific cell types evolve.
Mark Warchol, PhD
Professor, Otolaryngology
- Email: mwarchol@wustl.edu
The Warchol lab studies the molecular mechanism underlying development and regeneration of sensory hair cells of the inner ear and their neurons.
Conrad (Chris) Weihl, MD, PhD
Professor, Neurology
- Email: weihlc@wustl.edu
The Weihl lab studies neuromuscular disorders with special emphasis on degenerative myopathies.
Philip Williams, PhD
Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Email: prwillia@wustl.edu
The Williams lab is interested in selective neuronal vulnerability in degeneration and trauma. We use a combination of in vivo microscopy, transcriptomics, and viral mediated gene overexpression/knockout to manipulate neurons in the retina with the long term goal of increasing neuronal survival and axon regeneration in degenerative mouse models.
Hiroko Yano, PhD
Associate Professor, Neurosurgery
- Email: yanoh@wustl.edu
The Yano Lab is interested in mechanisms leading to neurodegenerative diseases and brain tumors and the development of disease therapies.
Andrew Yoo, PhD
Associate Professor, Developmental Biology
- Email: yooa@wustl.edu
The Yoo lab studies how microRNAs control development, direct reprogramming, and aging in neurons.
Jennifer Zellers, PT, DPT, PhD
Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy and Orthopaedic Surgery
- Email: jzellers@wustl.edu
The Zellers Lab (Tendon Rehabilitation Lab) is committed to improving care for people with tendon injury and dysfunction. Our research is aimed at advancing our understanding of person-specific factors that affect a tendon’s ability to respond to treatment. This includes local factors, like tendon structure, and systemic factors, like the presence of diabetes.