Cell and Tissue Engineering

The Shea Lab focuses on controllable microenvironments for directing or molecularly dissecting tissue growth, both normal and abnormal. His lab is applying systems biology approaches to investigate epithelial cell differentiation and metastatic progression, the mechanisms of drug action, and the cross talk between epithelial cells and immune cells.

The Nagrath lab research focuses on developing integrated nano- and microfluidic technologies for understanding cell trafficking in cancer through isolation, characterization, and the study of circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood of cancer patients.

The Lesher-Pérez lab is interested in how the dynamics of biomolecules, such as hormones, circulating through our body impact human health and disease.

Their mission is to develop technologies and strategies to understand, parametrize, and treat the impacts of biomolecular rhythm dysregulation in humans.

Wicha researchers study the biology of stem cells in the normal mammary gland and breast cancers by isolating and characterizing normal and malignant mammary stem cells and the changes in these key cells during carcinogenesis.

Aguilar’s NOBEL lab develops, optimizes and applies innovative technologies such as integrative genomic assays and high-throughput sequencing, micro/nanofabricated devices, genome editing and computational modeling to its primary area of focus, which is skeletal muscle.

Research interests have focused on identifying new mechanisms and targets in heart failure, with a particular interest in noncoding RNA pathways. The lab has had a longstanding interest in understanding how exercise protects against cardiovascular disease and how this interacts with aging. We have a growing interest in heart-brain connections – understanding common pathways and cross-talk between these organs – and leveraging those insights for novel therapies.

Research in the Lombaert lab focuses on the regeneration of radiated tissues by stem cell-based therapies. In order to drive this therapeutic concept successfully, we investigate molecular and cellular research aspects during organ development, as well as in adult homeostatic and damaged conditions.

The Nagrath lab focuses on both experimental and theoretical aspects of Cellular and Molecular Tissue Engineering, Metabolic Engineering, and Biomedicine with emphasis on clinical applications. Our research interests lie in the systems biology of metabolic diseases, specifically cancer.

The Luker lab combines innovative optical imaging with computational modeling to discover how single-cell signaling in the tumor microenvironment regulates breast cancer progression and response to therapy.

The Simmer Hu laboratory studies tooth development, focusing on the human genetics of developmental defects of the dentition and using gene edited mouse models to understand how proteins encoded by genes function during normal tooth development and how their mutations lead to failures in such process. The ultimate goal of our research is to apply scientific discoveries toward devising therapeutic measures for human disorders and diseases involving teeth.

The Simmer Hu lab played important parts in the first cloning of cDNA encoding enamelin (Enam), matrix metallowproteinase 20 (Mmp20) and kallikrein 4 (Klk4), and in the initial discoveries that MMP20, ITGB6, RELT, and FAM83H defects cause isolated amelogenesis imperfecta and that defects in FAM20A cause Enamel Renal Syndrome. These studies have greatly advanced our understanding of normal tooth development and associated disorders, leading to improvements in their diagnosis, prognosis, and intervention.

The Keller Group focuses on the biology of cancer metastasis and explores genes that regulate metastasis and the interaction between the bone microenvironment and cancer cells. Researchers perform translational studies to enable movement of research findings into clinics.

Dr. Chun is a clinician-researcher specializing in diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and endocrine disorders. His research efforts focus on enzyme-mediated fat tissue remodeling, which maintains healthy fat function and metabolism. High caloric diet causes diabetes and cardiovascular diseases by disrupting healthy fat remodeling and function.