Damon Runyon Researchers

Dr. Patel is focusing on neural tube development. The neural tube serves as the embryonic precursor to the central nervous system. Opposing signaling gradients help pattern the tube into distinct progenitor domains that eventually give rise to a variety of sensory and motor neurons in the body. Dr. Patel aims to understand the underlying transcriptional logic governing neural tube development by combining high-throughput CRISPR-based screens and single-cell sequencing. By doing so, he hopes to generate comprehensive gene expression phenotypes across a range of genetic perturbations. Understanding how transcription factors regulate cell fate is vital to the study of cancer as misregulation of such processes can lead to malignant cell states