Name: William W. Branford

Position: Assistant Professor

Research Description:

From the first cell cycle onward into the adult organism, positional information at the molecular level regulates the patterning and maintenance of cell fate and function. In many instances differential signaling gradients established by diffusible ligands dictate this positional information and subsequently cell behavior. In the vertebrate embryo, disruption of these signaling gradients severely perturbs development, while in adults, the misregulation of these cellular signals underlie many diseases, including cancer. The long-term goal of my research program is to understand how such signaling gradients form in vertebrate embryos and how they instruct cell fate and function. More specifically, I wish to understand how these gradients of extracellular signaling are regulated, with an emphasis on the secreted signaling antagonist Lefty, an atypical transforming growth factor ß (TGF ß) protein.

Lab Memberships

Branford Lab (Principal Investigator/Director)

Contact Information

Address:
Department of Biological Sciences
Room 3111 BSB
Wayne State University
5047 Gullen Mall
Detroit, MI
48202, USA

Email: wbranford@wayne.edu
Web Page: http://bio.wayne.edu/profhtml/Branford/branford.html
Phone:  313 577 3605