Aaron M. Zorn, PhD

Perinatal Institute Endowed Research Chair
Co-Director, Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM)
Director, Division of Developmental Biology
Associate Director, Digestive Health Center
Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

aaron.zorn@cchmc.org

About

Biography

I lead the Zorn lab with the research goal of understanding the embryonic development respiratory and digestive systems. We use a combination of animal models and human pluripotent stem cells to investigate the genetic pathways underlying organ formation. The research in this lab helps our understanding of congenital diseases and the ability to generate organoids - human organ tissue in a dish, for regenerative medicine.

BSc: University of Toronto, Canada.

PhD: University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 1995.

Postdoctoral: Wellcome Trust Cancer Research Campaign Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, 1996-1999.

Research Fellow: Wellcome Trust Gurdon Institute, Universtiy of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, 1999-2002.

Interests

Development of lung, liver, pancreas and gastrointestinal tract; vertebrate embryology

Learn more about CuSTOM.

Research Areas

Developmental Biology

Publications

Selected

Single cell transcriptomics identifies a signaling network coordinating endoderm and mesoderm diversification during foregut organogenesis. Han, L; Chaturvedi, P; Kishimoto, K; Koike, H; Nasr, T; Iwasawa, K; Giesbrecht, K; Witcher, PC; Eicher, A; Haines, L; Morimoto, M; Wells, JM; Takebe, T; Zorn, AM. Nature Communications. 2020; 11:4158.

Selected

Sox17 and β-catenin co-occupy Wnt-responsive enhancers to govern the endoderm gene regulatory network. Mukherjee, S; Chaturvedi, P; Rankin, SA; Fish, MB; Wlizla, M; Paraiso, KD; MacDonald, M; Chen, X; Weirauch, MT; Blitz, IL; Cho, KW Y; Zorn, AM. eLife. 2020; 9.

Selected

Endosome-Mediated Epithelial Remodeling Downstream of Hedgehog-Gli Is Required for Tracheoesophageal Separation. Nasr, T; Mancini, P; Rankin, SA; Edwards, NA; Agricola, ZN; Kenny, AP; Kinney, JL; Daniels, K; Vardanyan, J; Han, L; Trisno, SL; Cha, S; Wells, JM; Kofron, MJ; Zorn, AM. Developmental Cell. 2019; 51:665-674.e6.

Selected

Modelling human hepato-biliary-pancreatic organogenesis from the foregut-midgut boundary. Koike, H; Iwasawa, K; Ouchi, R; Maezawa, M; Giesbrecht, K; Saiki, N; Ferguson, A; Kimura, M; Thompson, WL; Wells, JM; Zorn, AM; Takebe, T. Nature. 2019; 574:112-116.

Selected

Esophageal Organoids from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Delineate Sox2 Functions during Esophageal Specification. Trisno, SL; Philo, KE D; McCracken, KW; Cata, EM; Ruiz-Torres, S; Rankin, SA; Han, L; Nasr, T; Chaturvedi, P; Rothenberg, ME; Mandegar, MA; Wells, SI; Zorn, AM; Wells, JM. Cell Stem Cell. 2018; 23:501-515.e7.

Selected

Genomic integration of Wnt/β-catenin and BMP/Smad1 signaling coordinates foregut and hindgut transcriptional programs. Stevens, ML; Chaturvedi, P; Rankin, SA; Macdonald, M; Jagannathan, S; Yukawa, M; Barski, A; Zorn, AM. Development (Cambridge). 2017; 144:1283-1295.

Selected

A Retinoic Acid-Hedgehog Cascade Coordinates Mesoderm-Inducing Signals and Endoderm Competence during Lung Specification. Rankin, SA; Han, L; McCracken, KW; Kenny, AP; Anglin, CT; Grigg, EA; Crawford, CM; Wells, JM; Shannon, JM; Zorn, AM. Cell Reports. 2016; 16:66-78.

Selected

Suppression of Bmp4 signaling by the zinc-finger repressors Osr1 and Osr2 is required for Wnt/β-catenin-mediated lung specification in Xenopus. Rankin, SA; Gallas, AL; Neto, A; Luis Gomez-Skarmeta, J; Zorn, AM. Development (Cambridge). 2012; 139:3010-3020.

Selected

Sizzled-tolloid interactions maintain foregut progenitors by regulating fibronectin-dependent BMP signaling. Kenny, AP; Rankin, SA; Allbee, AW; Prewitt, AR; Zhang, Z; Tabangin, ME; Shifley, ET; Louza, MP; Zorn, AM. Developmental Cell. 2012; 23:292-304.

Selected

Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into intestinal tissue in vitro. Spence, JR; Mayhew, CN; Rankin, SA; Kuhar, MF; Vallance, JE; Tolle, K; Hoskins, EE; Kalinichenko, VV; Wells, SI; Zorn, AM; Shroyer, NF; Wells, JM. Nature. 2011; 470:105-109.