Carolina Perez Castro, Ph.D.

Research

My group is currently working on the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying ES cells and early differentiation. Our main goal is to understand how TGFbeta through Smad proteins regulates genes that are potentially critical for self-renewal property and cell behavior. The main experimental strategies in the lab include: Gene expression analysis and Bioinformatics. Stable gene transfer in cell culture systems and genome silencing with viral vectors. The understanding of how pluripotency and cell plasticity are regulated will have a large impact on developmental biology studies, pathologies and regenerative medicine.