Research
The major research interest of our lab is in how the differentiated state of adult tissues is maintained. We study this using mammalian epidermis as a model system. Current projects are concerned with self-renewal and lineage selection by human and mouse epidermal stem cells, the role of stem cells in epidermal tumour formation, and the assembly and function of the epidermal cornified envelope. We are using transgenic mouse models to investigate the role of Myc in driving exit from the stem cell compartment and we are studying the pathways with which beta-catenin interacts to induce ectopic hair follicles. We are characterising stem cells in squamous cell carcinomas and the role of non-dividing, differentiated cells in regulating the behaviour of cancer stem cells.
