GFL-Ret mediated mechanisms in the development, repair and regeneration of the nervous and urogenital systems
Our main objective is to delineate molecular and genetic events underlying organogenesis, injury, repair and regeneration. We use glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-RET receptor tyrosine kinase signaling as a paradigm, genetically defined mice (signaling mutants, reporter strains and conditional mice) as disease model systems and bioinformatics to understand the fundamentals of how this pathway regulates normal and pathological processes. We then aim to translate these discoveries to bedside using patient specimens and available “omics” technologies. We aim to glean insights into molecular and genetic basis of the underlying disease. The major focus is on development and diseases of the urogenital and the nervous systems.