The research in my lab is focused on discovering the developmental mechanisms of morphogenesis and structural birth defects using both forward and reverse genetic approaches. We use innovative CRISPR/Cas9 modeling methods to rapidly investigate the function of novel human mutations associated with these conditions to aid in diagnosis and improve our understanding of disease mechanisms. We take advantage of large-scale mutagenesis programs to identify and study novel single gene knockout developmental phenotypes, and diverse mouse genetic backgrounds to explore the systems-level dynamics of embryonic morphogenesis.
My lab also builds large-scale resources for the broader scientific community including the Knockout Mouse Phenotyping Program (KOMP2), which is part of an international effort the create and phenotype a single gene knockout for every protein coding gene in the mammalian genome. For the JAX Center for Precision Genetics (JCPG), we use genome editing technology to engineer precise models of rare disease and, when feasible, explore genome editing strategies for therapeutic intervention.