Welcome to the Ihrie Lab @ Vanderbilt!
Vanderbilt graduate students: Learn more about rotations here.
We are part of the Departments of Cell & Developmental Biology and Neurological Surgery, the Programs in Developmental Biology, Neuroscience, and Cancer Biology, the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, the Vanderbilt Center for Stem Cell Biology, and the Vanderbilt Brain Institute.
We work in human tissue and animal models to identify and target subpopulations of cells that are responsible for the generation of specific neuronal subtypes (in the normal brain) and for tumor growth and progression. Unlike many other organs, the brain has very few dividing cells, and when neurons are lost because of disease or injury they generally are not replaced, causing devastating consequences for patients with neurodegenerative disorders, traumatic brain injuries, or other diseases. Understanding how stem cells are normally directed to make particular neurons (or other cells) will be essential to reprogramming these cells for therapeutic purposes. In addition, because stem and progenitor cells are some of the only proliferating cells in the brain, they are a likely cell of origin for brain tumors in both children and adults. We use single-cell-level assays to measure the effects of specific molecular signals on proliferation, differentiation, and invasion, with the goal of identifying pathways that can be targeted for therapeutic purposes.
We are very proud to conduct research funded by:
The Ben & Catherine Ivy Foundation
The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Ambassadors
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center / American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant
The Tuberous Sclerosis (TSC) Alliance
The Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation
Please click the links above for more information!