MGH/HMS
Jayaraj Rajagopal is a stem cell biologist based at MGH where he holds the Kayden Chair and is a Professor at Harvard Medical School. The Rajagopal laboratory is in the rules that govern the assembly and physiology of the airway epithelium. His laboratory made the surprising discovery that a fully mature functional cell can durably dedifferentiate into a stem cell and has also identified several new principles of cell communication during regeneration as well as several new lung cell types including the initial description of pulmonary ionocytes. His current interests revolve around establishing the design principles that allow a diverse panoply of cells to physiologically integrate environmental information and how that process goes awry in lung disease.
The image reveals three rare cell types distributed seemingly randomly in an airway epithelium along with cellular projections that imply cell to communication. These cells, including the recently described pulmonary ionocyte, are hypothesized to interpret and integrate environmental information. The rules for orchestrating the integration and output of this ensemble are yet to be illuminated and are likely central to lung disease.
Thursday, November 3, 2022
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM ET
Saturday, November 5, 2022
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET