Gregg Duester

My laboratory studies the mechanisms through which the vitamin A metabolite retinoic acid (RA) controls embryonic development and stem cell differentiation. We are using genetic, epigenetic, and whole-genome approaches to identify direct target genes, enhancers/silencers, and pathways controlled by RA signaling in many different organs during development. By determining how RA normally functions as a central regulator of organogenesis, our research helps reveal the regulatory logic that drives stem cell differentiation and provides a basis to guide efforts in stem cell manipulations designed to treat human disease or aging through a regenerative medicine approach.