Seminar Topic:
The diaphragm is an essential mammalian skeletal muscle, as it is vital for respiration and serves as a barrier between the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Defects in diaphragm development are the cause of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) a common birth defect (1 in 3000 births) that results in severe morbidity and 50% mortality. Development of the diaphragm requires the integration of multiple tissues that derive from several embryonic sources. I will describe our recent research on the critical role of the connective tissue in guiding normal diaphragm development and how defects in the connective tissue are the cause of CDH.
Biography:
Dr. Gabrielle Kardon is a professor at the University of Utah whose lab studies skeletal muscle development, regeneration, response to viral infection, and evolution. Always interested in evolution, she initially studied geology and paleontology at Yale University and then at the University of Michigan. After learning about the role of Hox genes in regulating development and evolution, she switched her research focus to developmental biology. At Duke University, with mentorship from David McClay and Stephen Wainwright, she completed her PhD on the development of limb muscle and tendons. She did postdoctoral training with Cliff Tabin at Harvard Medical School, where she began investigating the role of interactions between muscle and muscle connective tissue fibroblasts in the development of limb muscle. Since 2004, she has had an independent lab at the University of Utah. Her lab currently concentrates on three areas of research. The lab studies the development of the diaphragm, the genetic and cellular causes of the common birth defect, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernias, and the evolutionary origin of this critical mammalian muscle. The lab also investigates the cellular and molecular processes regulating adult muscle regeneration after acute, sterile injury. Finally, her lab has been investigating how infection by mosquito-borne alphaviruses – a major and growing health concern – causes acute and chronic muscle weakness.
Please visit HERE for more information on her lab.
This event is in-person in Nutting Hall Room 257 on November 6th at 3:00 PM
* The link will be added for virtual attendance *
