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Daniel Kiehart is a Professor in the Department of Biology at Duke University. His intellectual focus is on identifying the determinants of cell shape and function during development. His research employs molecular genetic and reverse genetic approaches in Drosophila, demonstrating that conventional nonmuscle myosin is necessary for driving cell division and post-mitotic cell shape changes during morphogenesis. He is currently investigating how myosin mediates cell shape change and function, which is regulated by filament formation, phosphorylation, and small GTP-binding proteins. Kiehart's lab uses innovative, near-saturating genetic screens to identify mutations that interfere with dorsal closure, a model for cell sheet movements crucial for proper morphogenesis. To date, they have screened two-fifths of the Drosophila genome, identifying around 300 genes essential for this complex developmental process. Kiehart has also utilized laser microsurgery and micro-manipulation studies to explore the forces that drive morphogenesis and the role of proteins in wound healing.
Department of Biomedical Engineering (MS program)