Our lab is interested in understanding the mechanisms which govern the fates of individual cells. Why do some cells ‘win’ and other cells ‘lose’ during development and regeneration?

One of our primary interests is in the function of the immune system during regeneration. Immune cells are exquisitely sensitive to environmental cues and are capable of both eliminating and expanding specific cells in the regenerative niche. We recently identified a quality-assurance mechanism by which macrophages select specific blood stem cells for expansion during development and anticipate that similar mechanisms are at play in other systems.

We use a combination of genetics, lineage-tracing, and live-cell imaging to study regeneration and scar formation across multiple fish species. Through these efforts we aim to gain new insights into the barriers which inhibit regeneration in humans.