The Developmental and Regenerative Biology (DRB) group at UC-Berkeley brings together researchers interested in fundamental questions concerning how organisms reproduce, develop from egg to adult, and maintain themselves through renewal and regeneration.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Developmental and Regenerative Biology (DRB) group at UC-Berkeley brings together researchers interested in fundamental questions concerning how organisms reproduce, develop from egg to adult, and maintain themselves through renewal and regeneration. These questions include:
- How cells attain different fates during development, including the properties of stem cells
- How groups of cells assemble into organs, including growth control and morphogenesis
- How intercellular signaling regulates normal development and homeostasis, and how its alteration induces pathologies including cancer
- How organs and organisms respond to damage, including through regeneration
- How evolution modifies developmental pathways to create diversity
- How fundamental cellular processes such as gene regulation act to create the diverse cell types of an organism from stem cells
- How numerous complex systems are integrated to reliably direct normal development
- How failures in developmental processes, even in adulthood, can induce disease
Developmental and Regenerative Biology faculty hold appointments in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB), with most affiliated with the Cell and Developmental Biology (CDB) and/or Genetics, Genomics, and Development (GGD) divisions. Many are affiliated with the Berkeley Stem Cell Center. The Developmental and Regenerative Biology group provides an opportunity for these researchers and their labs to interact with across disciplinary lines.
Group activities include journal clubs, a yearly retreat with presentation opportunities, special seminars, graduate courses, and additional targeted mentoring.