In the Tamplin lab, we study blood stem cells and their microenvironment. Blood stem cell transplantation is a curative treatment for many blood cancers and diseases. A better understanding of blood stem cells and their microenvironment will help us improve treatments and patient survival.
We use complementary zebrafish and mouse model organisms. The zebrafish is well-established for genetic and cancer studies, and allows high-resolution live imaging of cellular behaviors.
We are also developing a zebrafish model of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an incurable pediatric brain tumor. This model will allow us to directly visualize and study tumor initiation and development. We will use the zebrafish DIPG model to test new potential treatments.
Watch this high speed video of a blood stem cell (green) in a zebrafish embryo with blood vessels and red blood cells in circulation (red).