Understanding fibroblast heterogeneity and plasticity in skin physiology and disease.

 

My research aims at a better understanding of how fibroblasts – an important cell type that keeps our skin smooth and elastic – affect skin cancer, skin regeneration and skin diseases like scleroderma and keloid scars. Using innovative techniques including in vivo lineage tracing, organoid culture systems, single-cell transcriptomics, and mass cytometry, my lab addresses the yet unresolved role of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in malignant skin cancer and the function of distinct fibroblast subsets in fibrotic skin pathologies and skin regeneration.

The skin is the largest organ of our bodies with many functions ranging from protection against physical/chemical harm to camouflage, temperature regulation, and immunity. In a way, the skin reflects our souls and physical condition – it reveals whether we feel good or tired, and our age. Skin research is at least as multifaceted as the skin’s different functions, and we have barely scratched the surface to understand what is happening in skin physiology and disease. This awakes my curiosity.
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