Area of Research

• Our group is interested in understanding how functional elements are encoded in the human genome and how proteins and transcriptional regulatory elements orchestrate tissue- and cell-type specific gene regulatory networks in health and disease states. We focus on noncoding regulatory elements that cause congenital skeletal defects and contribute to susceptibility to bone and cartilage degenerative disorders such as osteoporosis and arthritis. We use comparative genomics, genetic engineering, bioinformatics analysis, single cell RNAseq, and other high throughput genomic approaches to test our genomic-driven hypotheses. Our studies emphasize on the role of Wnt Signaling in bone, cartilage and cancer.