Stem Cells & Development

Stem cells and Development - Zebrafish Heart

Faculty in this research area are interested in understanding how to  make an organism or regenerate tissues. A variety of models are in use ranging from well – known genetically tractable organisms (C. elegans, zebrafish) to agriculturally important animals (sheep, horses, cows) and less obvious models like crabs and salamanders!  Induced pluripotent stem cells and other types of stem cell are also employed as therapeutics or to investigate pluripotency and differentiation in a petri dish.

Faculty

Kim HokeKim Hoke
Associate Professor (Biology).  Neural, developmental, and genetic mechanisms of behavior.

Erin NishimuraErin Nishimura
Assistant Professor (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology)
Gene regulation in early C. elegans development

Kate Wilsterman
Assistant Professor (Biology)

My research is focused on understanding how and why animals vary in their reproductive investment strategies.
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Jayne Aiken Jayne Aiken
Assistant Professor (Biomedical Sciences)

Integrates cell biology, bioengineering, and neuroscience to uncover the foundational cytoskeletal regulation guiding synaptic connectivity in health and disease.
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​Jacob Cawley​​Jacob Cawley​
Assistant Professor (​Clinical Sciences​)

Cellular state regulation and developmental programs that inform cancer development and progression.

Santiago Di PietroSantiago Di Pietro
Associate Professor (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology)
Fundamental aspects of membrane protein transport.

Steven DowSteven Dow
Professor (Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology and Clinical Sciences)
Mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of chronic drug resistant infections and for stimulation of wound and tissue healing, using experimental and naturally occurring animal models.

Nicole EhrhartNicole Ehrhart
Professor (Clinical Sciences)
Mesenchymal stem cells to stimulate healing following bone cancer surgery

Debbie GarrityDebbie Garrity
Professor (Biology)
Zebrafish heart development

Tai MontgomeryTai Montgomery
Associate Professor (Biology)
RNA interference and fertility in C. elegans

Tai MontgomeryDevin O’Connor
Assistant Professor (Biology)

Links plant development with the tools to engineer it with gene editing.

Ashok Prasad

Professor (Chemical & Biological Engineering)

Mathematical and computational modeling of biological processes.

Joszef VighJozef Vigh
Associate Professor (Biomedical Sciences)
Signal processing in the retina.

Carol WiluszCarol Wilusz
Professor (Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology)
RNA metabolism in stem cells and neuromuscular disease

Affiliate Faculty
Coursework

BIOM 525 Cell & Tissue Engineering
BZ 570 Molecular Aspects of Plant Development
BZ 576 Genetics of Model Organisms (fall, even yrs)

Facilities & Resources

Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Lab

Center for Immune & Regenerative Medicine

Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine (Colorado University Anschutz)

CMB Students

Nalysha Torres (Osborne Nishimura Lab)
Ph.D. 2020 Cohort

Megan Hemmerlein (Wilsterman Lab)
Ph.D. 2022 Cohort

Kira Kapit (Hoke Lab)
Ph.D. 2023 Cohort

Alumni

Paul Ulisse (PhD 2026, Santangelo Lab)
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Ban Alkurdi (PhD 2026, Chanda Lab)
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Paige Ostwald (PhD 2022, Garrity Lab)
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Kailee Reed (MS 2022, Montgomery Lab)
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Julie Sun (PhD 2022, Telling Lab)
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Luke Hampton (MS 2020, Wilusz Lab)
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Josh Svendsen (Montgomery Lab)
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Neha Ahuja (Garrity Lab)
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Adam Heck (C. Wilusz Lab)
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Kristen Brown (PhD 2019, Montgomery Lab) – Data Science Fellow, Insight Data Science

Rasha Alnefaie (PhD 2018, Garrity Lab) – Lecturer, Albaha University

Aimee Jalkanen (PhD 2017, C. Wilusz Lab) – Clinical Research Manager, Merck

Annie Zhang Bargsten (PhD 2017, C. Wilusz Lab) – Scientific Support Specialist, Horizon Discovery

Publications