New Roles for an Ancient Organelle: Ciliary Defects Cause Cystic Kidney Disease and Structural Birth Defects

We are interested in the function of primary cilia. These organelles play vital roles in the development of mammals and in the etiology of diseases such as polycystic kidney disease and blindness. Our work combines in vitro cell culture studies with mutant mouse models to understand the role of cilia in controlling kidney architecture and the formation of the photoreceptor outer segment.