Regenerative Medicine | Research Interests

Name	Email	PhD Program	Research Interest	Publications
Chen, Gang WEBSITE EMAIL PUBLICATIONS	PHD PROGRAM Cell Biology & Physiology RESEARCH INTEREST Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Pulmonary Research, Regenerative Medicine, Respiratory Physiology & Infections, Signal Transduction, Stem Cells	We use cutting edge technology to study pathogenesis of human pulmonary diseases including cystic fibrosis, Job’s syndrome, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by both human specimens, mouse genetic models, with a goal of finding the therapies. Recently, we developed a serial of lung epithelial-lineage tracing systems, providing the powerful tools for identify mechanisms of lung disease involved in post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection, also known as “long COVID”, in collaboration with Dr. Ralph Baric’s Lab at UNC-CH.
McCauley, Heather WEBSITE EMAIL PUBLICATIONS	PHD PROGRAM Cell Biology & Physiology RESEARCH INTEREST Developmental Biology, Gastrointestinal Biology, Metabolism, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Physiology, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cells	The McCauley Lab is interested in how the food we eat changes our physiology. Rare, nutrient sensing cells in the intestine called enteroendocrine cells secrete hormones in response to environmental cues that orchestrate systemic metabolism. How these cells regulate their neighbors in the gut is not well understood. We use mouse models which lack enteroendocrine cells and human pluripotent stem cell derived intestinal organoids to discover new roles for these master metabolic cells in the regulation of intestinal physiology and function. Enteroendocrine cells are dysregulated in inflammatory bowel disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, and loss of enteroendocrine cells results in malabsorptive diarrhea with poor survival. Our research has the potential to improve human health for a wide segment of the global population.

Name

PhD Program

Research Interest

Publications

RESEARCH INTEREST
Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Pulmonary Research, Regenerative Medicine, Respiratory Physiology & Infections, Signal Transduction, Stem Cells

We use cutting edge technology to study pathogenesis of human pulmonary diseases including cystic fibrosis, Job’s syndrome, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by both human specimens, mouse genetic models, with a goal of finding the therapies. Recently, we developed a serial of lung epithelial-lineage tracing systems, providing the powerful tools for identify mechanisms of lung disease involved in post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection, also known as “long COVID”, in collaboration with Dr. Ralph Baric’s Lab at UNC-CH.

McCauley, Heather
WEBSITE
EMAIL
PUBLICATIONS

PHD PROGRAM
Cell Biology & Physiology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Developmental Biology, Gastrointestinal Biology, Metabolism, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Physiology, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cells

The McCauley Lab is interested in how the food we eat changes our physiology. Rare, nutrient sensing cells in the intestine called enteroendocrine cells secrete hormones in response to environmental cues that orchestrate systemic metabolism. How these cells regulate their neighbors in the gut is not well understood. We use mouse models which lack enteroendocrine cells and human pluripotent stem cell derived intestinal organoids to discover new roles for these master metabolic cells in the regulation of intestinal physiology and function. Enteroendocrine cells are dysregulated in inflammatory bowel disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, and loss of enteroendocrine cells results in malabsorptive diarrhea with poor survival. Our research has the potential to improve human health for a wide segment of the global population.

Research Interest: Regenerative Medicine