Protocols Publications

Research Interests

My work is focused on the development of the mammalian kidney. I am particularly interested in how the local tissue environment influences cell state, and reciprocally how cell state affects cellular responses to the environment. Modifying a cellular response to a signal allows signaling pathways to be reused during development and imposes patterning on the cell or tissue receiving the signal. This is the case in the mesenchymal-to-epithelial interactions used to form many different structures during development. In this way, a signal may be used to initiate specification of a group of cells, but the results of the specification may be different in different settings. This dynamic interplay drives development and my overall goal is to further understand this process. My focus is on the development of the nephron, both the specification of cells to form the nephron, and the complex patterning that occurs to define the very strict physiological domains of the nephron tubules.