All or our patients are growing. Indeed, it's the sine qua non of pediatric medicine that distinguishes us from all other physicians. The research efforts of our laboratory center on understanding the biology of growth and regeneration. Growth control and the development of proper size and form is a fundamental problem for growing children, moreover multiple pediatric diseases result in undergrowth, overgrowth or dysregulated growth (i.e. structural birth defects). In addition, while many animals are capable of extensive regeneration, the ability of diseased or damaged tissues and organs to regenerate in humans is quite limited.

We are using the zebrafish, Danio rerio, as a model system for studying the biology of growth and regeneration. Current studies are focused on: 1) Using fin overgrowth mutants already identified in forward genetic screens (e.g. rapunzel) to help dissect the genetics of growth control pathways; 2) Using forward genetic and pharmacologic screens to identify novel pathways/molecules important in organ regeneration, and; 3) Understanding how the nutritional environment is integrated into an overall hierarchy of growth regulatory signals.