Epigenetic regulation of skin development and disease

The skin epithelium is our body’s first line of defense against environmental hazards and dehydration, and it also provides the beauty and esthetics of our body. During development, a single layer of epithelial stem cells give rise to diverse cell types and structures such as: epidermis, hairs, sweat glands, and tactile mechano-receptors. Disruptions in epithelial differentiation are characteristics of common skin diseases that affect up to one in five people worldwide. The research in our lab is focused on the epigenetic mechanisms controlling epithelial identity and differentiation during development, and on the epigenetic and transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that go awry in common skin diseases and skin cancers.

Significant equipment:
♦ Leica CM3050S cryostat
♦ Roche LightCycler 480
♦ Olympus BX53 fluorescence microscope
♦ Olympus IX73 inverted fluorescence microscope