Research

Pigment cells have long been used to study gene-to-phenotype relationships. Since their discovery, numerous pigment cell types have been identified across different species, each sharing common features while displaying distinct functions and gene expression profiles. Melanocytes, the pigment cell type in humans, are famous for their roles in governing skin tone and the tanning response. However, not all melanocytes are pigmented or exposed to ultraviolet radiation. In vertebrates, pigment cells are an evolutionarily ancient cell-type that are derived from the neural crest at all axial levels and present in other organs besides the skin, such as the eyes, mucosa, brain, heart, and ears. The ubiquity of melanocytes throughout the human body and their involvement in medical conditions such as vitiligo, melanoma, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, congenital hearing loss, and atrial fibrillation indicates this cell type, pigmented or not, is essential for multi-organ homeostasis.
By understanding the cellular basis of melanocyte heterogeneity and uncovering the molecular/biochemical mechanisms that diversify melanocyte function, we aim to understand the role of intra-cell-type heterogeneity in maintaining the health of numerous organs while identifying novel etiological and pathological mechanisms contributing to the diverse clinical presentations within melanocyte-associated diseases.

Defining novel melanocyte subtypes and subtype-specific molecular programs

More information coming soon!

Spatiotemporal mechanisms of melanocyte subtype function 

More information coming soon!

Cell-of-origin based classification and actionable subtyping of diseases

A major obstacle to identifying effective therapeutic strategies is the heterogenous presentation and response of tumors from the same cancer type. We aim to leverage fundamental discoveries in the cellular and molecular basis of healthy cell heterogeneity to dissect mechanisms of disease diversity, with a focus on identifying better treatment options for patients not served by the current standard of care. 

We are currently investigating how different types of melanocytes respond to environmental stress and determining how and when melanoma cells co-opt healthy melanocyte adaptation programs to promote tumorigenesis and disease progression.  We use this information to identify new targets for precision therapeutic approaches and predictive biomarkers for patient response to current and next generation therapies.