Research & Initiatives
We contain genetic multitudes. Microchimerism is the harboring of a small number of cells between two distinct individuals. This transfer of cells is well known to occur between mothers and offspring during gestation, solidifying a shared biological connection which lasts a lifetime.
This project will seek to provide fundamental information about the phenomenon of microchimerism at the cellular and molecular level. One of our major priorities is to cultivate a research environment that facilitates the expertise and development of methods to answer innovative questions regarding microchimerism in a variety of temporal and spatial contexts. We will phenotype host-microchimerism relationships in a variety of evolutionarily relevant contexts, including various tissues, immune system dynamics, and cell tracking across generations. We will use cutting edge technology, including whole body microtoming, in situ- and single cell sequencing, functional analyses, and longitudinal analyses to characterize host-microchimerism dynamics. Identifying these key parameters in microchimerism biology that can lead to a better understanding of the causes and consequences of being chimeric.
