About


Through our Research and Teaching the Department of Cellular & Physiological Science strives to improve our understanding of structure-function relationships in health and disease. Our research focus is on the development and integration of molecular and cellular networks and how they influence the function of organ systems in the context of whole organisms. Our foundational science teaching in numerous programs is focused on excellence and innovation and strives to educate students in the critical understanding of normal body structure and function.


The Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences does world-class research aimed at understanding the fundamental workings of cells and organisms in an effort to identify the underlying causes of human diseases. The Department’s research is diverse, with Investigators working in a wide range of the leading invertebrate and vertebrate model systems and using biochemical, molecular genetic, cellular and physiological approaches.The Department has particular strengths in neuroscience, endocrinology, development and cancer. The robust collaborative spirit between the Department’s Investigators drives increasingly multidisciplinary research programs in each laboratory. This includes the incorporation of the latest technologies in molecular biology, genetics, next-generation genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and genetically-engineered animal models to complement our expertise in cell biological and physiology. The research in the Department is also strengthened by our use of advanced imaging capabilities that includes EM, super-resolution, 2-photon, live-cell and high-throughput microscopy. Research in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences is providing insight into the fundamental biological processes and pathologies that lie behind many diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, to name just a few.