Dr. Nystul’s laboratory uses the Drosophila ovary as a model for studying the fundamental properties of epithelial stem cells, their associated niche, and the connection between epithelial stem cells and cancer. They are interested in questions such as, (1) how is stem cell fate maintained within a dynamic epithelial tissue; (2) What is the nature of the epithelial stem cell niche; (3) What is the genetic basis of competition for the stem cell niche; and (4) Do stem cell defects contribute to cancer and other pathologies?

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