Wadhwa Lab
Principal Investigator: Pathik D Wadhwa
Institution: University of California, Irvine (Irvine, CA)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
ABSTRACT Our goal is to test a novel hypothesis in humans about the impact of chronic stress and stress-related biobehavioral processes on stem/progenitor cell biology. Although substantial progress has been made in understanding how stress becomes biologically embedded to produce long-term effects, crucial knowledge gaps remain. The processes implicated in biological embed- ding have been described primarily at the level of differentiated cells types that form tissues and organ systems. Based on the consideration that the long-term effects of stress can extend well beyond the lifespan of most differentiated cells, whose replenishment does not occur from already-differentiated ‘parent’ cells, but occurs from stem/progenitor cells, we advance the hypothesis that biological embedding of the effects of chronic stress may extend all the way down to the level of stem cells, to define fundamental aspects of their biology that determine the earliest vulnerabilities for common stress- and age-related disorders. We underscore the importance of studying fetal (newborn) stem cells, focus specifically on hematopoietic (HSCs) and mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs), and on the functional c…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R01HD107176-05: Stress and Human Stem/Progenitor Cells: Biobehavioral Mechanisms (2026)
- 4R01MD017387-04: BIOLOGICAL EMBEDDING OF CONTEXTUAL FACTORS IN HUMAN STEM CELLS: IMPLICATIONS FOR POPULATION HEALTH DIFFERENCES (2025)
- 5R01HD107176-04: Stress and Human Stem/Progenitor Cells: Biobehavioral Mechanisms (2025)
- 5R01HD107176-03: Stress and Human Stem/Progenitor Cells: Biobehavioral Mechanisms (2024)
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