Stanford University · BiophysicsIntestinal Regeneration Research Unit
Lucy Erin O'Brien · Stanford, California
Research Focus
Dr. Lucy Erin O'Brien's lab at Stanford University focuses on how the intestinal epithelium repairs itself after injury using the Drosophila model. The team studies the balance between rapid cell differentiation and the potential long-term consequences on stem cell populations. By observing how the gut handles injury and recovery, they aim to find new strategies to promote intestinal healing and manage chronic intestinal diseases.
Drosophilaintestinal regenerationcell differentiationNotch signalingstem cell biologytissue homeostasislive imaginglineage tracingcellular plasticitychronic intestinal disease
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how some stem cells survive injury despite disrupted signaling pathways.
AIM 02Ascertain the evolution and role of stopgap cells in post-injury tissue recovery.
AIM 03Determine the fates of accelerated differentiating cells during and after injury recovery.
AIM 04Examine how stopgap cells influence tissue health and cell competition post-injury.
AIM 05Explore the balance between rapid repair and long-term stem cell maintenance.
Skills the Lab Values
Drosophila geneticslive cell imagingcell lineage tracingtissue dissectionRNA sequencingbiostatisticsexperimental designdevelopmental biology techniquesdata visualization tools
Output against the department
Publications49bottom 10% of dept.9th of 10
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations4.1kbottom 30% of dept.7th of 10
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.