Fundamental and applied biology of intestinal stem cells

The critical dynamics that underpin most of the cell and tissue biology of any renewing tissue are the relative capacities of cells to generate and support clonal progeny. However, the repertoire of behaviours by which stem cells achieve, maintain and alter their self-renewing function is still not well understood. A major focus of Dr Winton's research is to understand the relationship between the small number of equipotent stem cells and the extensive heterogeneity in the expression of stem-cell markers that associate with stem-cell function. In addition, Dr Winton aims to understand the dynamics of human stem-cell renewal that determine the number and replacement rate of stem cells in the human intestine, and how these dynamics change in intestinal pathologies.