Research
Elucidating the mechanisms of cell fate determination
Appointments
- Associate Professor, Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology Member, Cell & Developmental Biology GPB Home Area Eli & Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cell Research Gene Regulation GPB Home Area JCCC Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program Area Neuroscience GPB Home Area
Biography
Elucidating the mechanisms of cell fate determination Mammals have evolved a myriad of methods by which diverse tissues are specified, develop, and then are maintained by stem cells. Our lab is focused on the transcriptional mechanisms that underlie each of these processes to not only understand development, but also cancer, where these processes go awry.
Publications
- Mansooralavi, N, Lowry, WE. New insights into Rett syndrome pathogenesis: defining the role of MEPC2 in DNA damage. Front Neurol. 2026;17 :1711771. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2026.1711771. PubMed PMID:42199960 PubMed Central PMC13199075.
- Vuong, CK, Weber, A, Seong, P, Matoba, N, Chen, YJ, Peyer, J et al.. A single-cell multiomic analysis identifies molecular and gene-regulatory mechanisms dysregulated in developing Down syndrome neocortex. Science. 2026;392 (6796):eaea1259. doi: 10.1126/science.aea1259. PubMed PMID:42024758 PubMed Central PMC13225313.
- Olson, OC, Zhang, R, Proven, MA, Swann, JC, Huang, K, Lowry, WE et al.. Glutamine addiction is a therapeutic target to block emergency myelopoiesis. bioRxiv. 2026; :. doi: 10.64898/2026.03.26.714544. PubMed PMID:41959003 PubMed Central PMC13060292.
- Morales, A, Korsakova, E, Mansooralavi, N, Ravikumar, A, Rivas, G, Soliman, P et al.. Probing DNA damage in Rett syndrome neurons uncovers a role for MECP2 regulation of PARP1. Stem Cell Reports. 2026;21 (2):102819. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2026.102819. PubMed PMID:41579858 PubMed Central PMC12903077.
- Morales, A, Korsakova, E, Mansooralavi, N, Ravikumar, A, Rivas, G, Soliman, P et al.. Probing DNA damage in Rett syndrome neurons uncovers a role for MECP2 regulation of PARP1. Stem Cell Reports. 2025;20 (10):102645. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102645. PubMed PMID:41005313 PubMed Central PMC12790717.