Brad Merrill, PhD
Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Contact
Building & Room:
MBRB 2270
Address:
900 S Ashland Ave
Office Phone:
Email:
Related Sites:
Research Interests Heading link
Our lab has cultivated interests in several aspects of biomedical research over the years. We are broadly interested in understanding the biology of stem cells and cellular differentiation, understanding how genomes encode instructions for building embryos from an individual cells, and inventing new synthetic biology tools and techniques to advance human health.
In more granular terms, we have had a longstanding interest in the functions of transcription factors, particularly the Tcf/Lef factors in the Wnt/Beta-Catenin pathway, and in understanding how these factors affect the identity and special properties of pluripotent stem cells. We have researched the genetic controls that coordinated the elaboration of the basic body plan with the differentiation of primary germ layers during mouse gastrulation.
And we have invented new CRISPR-Cas9 based tools that let us program a cell to execute several gene editing actions in a sequentially-delimited, daisy-chain manner.
Education
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 1999
Postdoc, University of Chicago, and Rockefeller University, 2004