Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology

The research of faculty in the areas of Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology addresses biology at the level of the organism, moving from the molecular biology of the individual cell to integrated tissues, organs and organisms, and asking how this biology impacts human disease. UCSF has a long history in the biological sciences that relate to this area of research that is reflected in current Organized Research Units including the Center for Reproductive Sciences, Diabetes Center, Hormone Research Institute, Metabolic Unit, Liver Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Lung Biology Center, and Gladstone Institutes.

Among the specific research topics pursued are the genetic basis of obesity, the role of extracellular matrix in regulating cell function, the biological basis of diabetes, reproductive biology, adrenal function, ion fluxes in skin and epithelium, and calcium homeostasis.

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Participating Faculty

Ritchie Chen, PhD, MSc, BS

Primary Thematic Area: 
Neurobiology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
Developing technologies to understand and treat nervous system dysfunction. Neural circuits of interoception.

Jennifer Chen, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Research Summary: 
Dr. Jennifer Y. Chen’s research program focuses on the development of novel antifibrotic therapies and biomarkers for patients with chronic liver disease.

John Chorba, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
The Chemical Biology of Cardiometabolic Disease
Mentorship Development: 

The central theme of the Chorba Lab is to model clinically relevant phenomena in a controlled environment. The major goals are to develop new therapies, targets, and diagnostics that change paradigms in medicine. Inspired by clinical practice, we 1) develop biochemical tools and 2) tackle seemingly undruggable targets to 3) understand the mechanistic basis of cardiometabolic disease and beyond. We work at the interface of chemistry and biology, using the bidirectionality of bench-to-bedside research to expand our findings from any given disease model to the fundamental biology at play.

Onur Cil, MD, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Research Summary: 
Drug discovery/repurposing and disease pathogenesis mechanisms for renal, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular diseases.

Kelsey Collins, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Research Summary: 
We leverage interdisciplinary approaches in bioengineering, endocrinology, and physiology to determine molecular mechanisms of tissue crosstalk in osteoarthritis.

Jayanta Debnath, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
Autophagy In Cell Survival and Cancer Progression
Mentorship Development: 

4/12/19  Acknowleding and Negotiating the Mentee-Mentor Tensions Inherent in the Research Lab (Parnassus)

Sophie Dumont, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
Mechanics of chromosome segregation
Mentorship Development: 

4/2019 - Acknowleding and Negotiating the Mentee-Mentor Tensions Inherent in the Research Lab (Parnassus)
10/2020 - Gathering in Community: a Training for Faculty and Staff
5/2021 - Sharpening your Mentoring Skills (SyMS)

John Fahy, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
Mechanism Oriented Clinical Research in Airway Disease

Brian Feldman, MD, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Research Summary: 
We aim to elucidate previously unrecognized paracrine and endocrine signaling pathways that regulate stem cell fate and differentiation decisions that modulate body composition and metabolism.

Steve Finkbeiner, MD, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Neurobiology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptic Plasticity and Neurodegeneration

Michael German, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
Development and Biology of the Pancreatic Islets

Emily Goldberg, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
Immunometabolic control of inflammation

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