171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-1414
800-424-MUSC
|
 |
September 2007
Children's Research Institute News Brief
 |
Bernard L. Maria, MD, MBA
Executive Director
Darby Children's
Research Inst. |
|
 |
Inderjit Singh, PhD
Scientific Director
Darby Children's
Research Inst. |
|
New recruit intent on cilia's role in skeletal tissues
New assistant professor Dr. Courtney J. Haycraft has always wanted to be an independent researcher, and by joining the DCRI in July she's achieved that goal.
An affiliate in the renal biology lab, Dr. Haycraft brings a great amount of mouse genetic experience to Dr. Darwin Bell's group.
"My work complements his work in kidney physiology," she notes. Dr. Haycraft completed her graduate and post-doctoral work at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, under Dr. Brad Yoder, a former colleague of Dr. Bell.
"Dr. Bell recruited me to MUSC," says Dr. Haycraft, who has found the university very supportive. "It seems to be a very nurturing environment, and it's not too big. And of course Dr. Bell is a wonderful person to work with."
 Dr. Haycraft's research focuses on cilia as it relates to bone development and maintenance. "I'm focused on what role cilia have in skeletal tissues," she explains. "And how that plays into how bones form, from the point of conception all the way through adulthood."
She's examining how cilia are essential to bone growth, from birth to teenage years. "We've also started looking at how bones turn over and maintain throughout one's life," she says.
Working closely with Drs. Bell, Zhi-Ren Zhang and Peter Komlosi, Dr. Haycraft aims to understand the basic biology about how bones develop.
"Our insight into the formation of the skeleton could open up avenues that will hopefully lead to improvements in repairing fractures, and in treating brittle bone syndrome and other diseases of the skeleton," she says. "It could help with osteoporosis as well."
The new recruit hopes to collaborate within the realm of children's research with several of her colleagues, including Dr. Reddy. "His work with Paget's disease ties in nicely with my bone development work," she notes.
|
|
Print Version