Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

GEMS Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Faculty

Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Research Concentration Leadership:

The Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Research Concentration applies biochemical, genetic, molecular, and advanced imaging techniques to study cellular processes and tissue regeneration in health and disease. Areas of research include cell signaling, organelle biology, mechanisms of cell death, cell cycle control, extracellular matrix, autophagy, molecular motors and cytoskeleton regulation, cellular metabolism, molecular pathways of stem cell self-renewal, stem cell fate and differentiation, tissue regeneration, stem cell derived three-dimensional organoids and using personalized stem cells to model diseases. These topics are investigated in a wide variety of organisms including yeast, zebrafish, mice and humans, using several cutting-edge approaches such as genetic lineage tracing of regeneration, super resolution microscopy to visualize protein complexes, single cell RNA-Sequencing to assess cellular heterogeneity and optogenetics.

A strong foundation in cell biology is essential for tackling some of the key challenges in biomedical research. The overall goal of training in this research concentration is to provide students with necessary critical thinking skills and a state-of-the art perspective on cell biology from basic biological mechanisms to translational medicine. The mentorship is provided by a multidisciplinary group of outstanding faculty members drawn from several departments in the UI College of Medicine such as Anatomy and Cell Biology, Physiology and Biophysics, Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Pathology, Medicine and Surgery. This multidisciplinary and collaborative group of mentors allows for comprehensive training which enables trainees to apply basic cell biology knowledge to several human diseases and tissue regeneration.