Labs by division

Exploring the molecular signals behind liver regeneration, our laboratory investigates how this remarkable organ restores both structure and function after injury or disease. Using rodent partial hepatectomy and complementary models, we focus on extrahepatic factors that regulate liver mass and regenerative capacity. Translating these insights to human liver disorders, we have identified a novel metabolomic marker with potential to predict clinical outcomes in pediatric acute liver failure, bridging fundamental research with real-world impact.

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Enhancing pediatric critical care through predictive models and decision support tools, our team specializes in translational biomedical informatics to transform high-resolution EHR data into actionable insights. By developing machine learning-driven solutions that integrate seamlessly into clinical workflows, we aim to improve decision-making at the bedside and advance personalized care for critically ill children.

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Studying how cells regulate metabolic programs and their link to neurological disease our lab uses genetics, cell biology and systems biology to uncover how dysfunction in these networks drives neurodegeneration. Our ultimate goal is to translate this knowledge into therapeutic strategies for disorders of the nervous system.

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Exploring inflammation's role in blood cancer and optimizing treatment our lab studies how inflammatory signals affect hematopoietic stem cells and contribute to malignancies. While inflammation is essential for immune defense prolonged exposure can impair stem cell function and drive clonal expansion of mutant cells leading to blood cancers. By understanding these responses we aim to improve stem cell health and develop strategies to prevent hematopoietic malignancies.

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Exploring cellular mechanisms that govern protein targeting, degradation and placental development, our laboratory investigates how intracellular pathways maintain homeostasis and regulate receptor-mediated endocytosis. By studying protein processing within endosomal and lysosomal systems and the molecular biology of syncytia formation in placental trophoblasts, we aim to uncover fundamental processes that influence health and disease. Our integrated approach provides insights into cellular regulation with implications for developmental biology and therapeutic innovation.

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Delivering personalized gut microbiome-based risk assessment and antibiotic stewardship to combat pediatric sepsis our lab aims to reduce morbidity and mortality from bacterial infections in infants by improving diagnostics and treatment strategies. We study how antibiotics disrupt the gut microbiome and immune development, increasing sepsis risk. Using microbial sequencing, immune profiling and computational modeling we develop algorithms to predict sepsis risk and guide optimal antibiotic therapy for vulnerable pediatric populations.

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Developing safer less toxic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children our research focuses on reduced intensity transplantation for hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia using the best available related or alternate donors. Building on multi-center trials like the SCURT trial for severe sickle cell disease and the URTH trial for thalassemia we are now exploring reduced intensity approaches for non-malignant disorders using minimally mismatched marrow or cord blood donors.

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Advancing genomics and metabolic research in maternal-fetal health our work focuses on genomic disorders, cytogenetic abnormalities, skeletal dysplasia and the genetic basis of autism. We use reverse genomics to characterize phenotypes with emphasis on 16p11.2 rearrangements and develop novel methods for detecting metabolic conditions. As co-director of the Women and Infants’ Health Specimen Consortium we also investigate metabolomics and feto-maternal interactions during pregnancy.

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Exploring host antiviral responses to commensal and pathogenic interactions, our research focuses on uncovering the mechanisms that drive innate immune defenses against viral infections. We also investigate how the microbiota influences the establishment and maintenance of antiviral immunity, aiming to reveal insights that inform new strategies for disease prevention and treatment.

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Decoding insulin resistance through rare genetic syndromes, our laboratory investigates severe insulin resistance disorders as unique experiments of nature to uncover fundamental principles of insulin signaling. Leveraging patient-derived models and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, we create transgenic mice and induced pluripotent stem cells differentiated into key cell types, enabling deep insights into molecular pathology and therapeutic discovery. These approaches bridge basic biology with translational strategies to improve care for metabolic disease.

Research profile