Chen Lab

Intro Video

Illustration by Emily M. Eng

Lab Research

Our laboratory explores the crossroads of chemistry, developmental biology, and cancer biology. Our current studies include genetic and chemical regulators of developmental pathways, optochemical and optogenetic tools for studying organismal biology, zebrafish models of tissue patterning, and mouse models of spermatogenesis. Learn more »

Lab Team

Our group includes graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, undergraduates, and research assistants from diverse scientific and cultural backgrounds. Working together, we strive to solve significant biomedical challenges by integrating synthetic chemistry, protein biochemistry, molecular biology, cell signaling, and animal models. Learn more »

Lab Stories

Our scientific publications span new technologies and biological discoveries. For example, we have identified small-molecule inhibitors of cytoplasmic dyneins, elucidated non-canonical mechanisms of Gli transcription factor activation, and developed caged oligonucleotides and optogenetic systems that enable spatiotemporal control of cellular functions. Learn more »

Members & Alumni

Our team’s backgrounds, scientific interests, and other (a)vocations

News/Calendar

Our group meeting schedule, lab activities, and recent news

Protocols

Our laboratory’s favorite recipes for
gels, wells, cells, etc.