UMCUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical School · Biology
Lawson Lab
Nathan D Lawson · Worcester, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Nathan D Lawson's lab at the University of Massachusetts Medical School focuses on understanding the development and function of blood vessels in the body. They study the role that specific cell types, such as pericytes and the gene Rasa1, play in vascular health, particularly during embryonic development. Using zebrafish as a model organism, the lab identifies the genetic and molecular factors that contribute to vascular and lymphatic anomalies, which can lead to serious health conditions.
vascular developmentpericytesRasa1embryonic developmentzebrafishcapillary functionvascular anomaliesneurodegenerative diseasegene regulation
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how pericyte identity is specified during embryonic development.
AIM 02Define transcriptional regulatory programs responsible for pericyte identity.
AIM 03Examine the role of the Rasa1 gene in vascular and lymphatic development.
AIM 04Characterize defects in vascular regression and their contribution to arteriovenous malformations.
AIM 05Evaluate zebrafish models for preclinical testing of therapeutic strategies for vascular anomalies.
Skills the Lab Values
genetic engineeringzebrafish model techniquesmolecular cloningcell culturelineage tracingmicroscopyCRISPRPCRimmunohistochemistry
Output against the department
Publications135bottom 48% of dept.533rd of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations19ktop 21% of dept.212th of 1,033
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.