Gebelein Research Lab

The human body is composed of an estimated 50 trillion cells that can be classified into over 200 different cell types. Together, these cells form the organs required for highly specialized functions such as digestion, respiration, immunity, locomotion, sensation, and cognition.

Amazingly, each cell arises from a common fertilized egg, and with rare exceptions, contains an identical set of genomic instructions. Currently, our lack of understanding of how the genome is differentially used to direct the formation of each cell type limits our ability to treat many human maladies.

The Gebelein Lab is focused on understanding how transcription factors regulate gene expression to specify distinct cells, tissues, and organs using multiple model organisms including the fruit-fly Drosophila melanogaster, mice, and differentiated human stem cells. Since the genetic pathways regulating development are highly conserved between flies and mammals, we take advantage of the unique strengths of each model organism to reveal insights into human development.

Overall, our goal is to determine how transcription factors are integrated to yield cell-specific outcomes through collaborations with other research labs at Cincinnati Children’s, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Tel Aviv University in Israel.

Training in the Lab

The Gebelein lab provides training for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students, especially those within the University of Cincinnati Biomedical Engineering Co-op program.

The laboratory is committed to providing an open and supportive research environment that welcomes all trainees interested in performing biomedical research. If you are interested in training in the laboratory and/or performing collaborative studies, please contact Brian Gebelein, PhD.