The Lab of Epithelial Stem cells & Pathophysiology
Stem cells possess an extraordinary ability to renew our tissue under homeostasis and following injury.
Despite decades of research, fundamental features of stem cells remained under debated or unknown.
How to identify a true stem cell in living organism? Study its regulation by the niche?
Explore how mutation affects stem cell behavior in pathology?
We developed advanced mouse genetic models for recording the lifetimes and progeny of stem cells
in the cornea and skin of live animals. This unique in vivo system exposes the dynamics of regeneration by stem cells,
the interactions of stem cells with their local niche, and stem cell failure in pathology.
We investigate the molecular mechanisms that underlie normal and mutated stem cell function
and the remarkable rejuvenation of the stem cell compartment following total stem cell loss. Finally,
to we employ human pluripotent stem cell differentiation for modeling skin and corneal genetic disease and
explore novel therapeutic approaches.
https://shalomfe.net.technion.ac.il/
