Paediatric Surgical Research

Paediatric Surgical Research

Lead Researcher: Professor Paul Johnson

Group Website: Oxford Academic Paediatric Surgery Unit

 

The aim of current research conducted within the Paediatric Surgical Research Laboratory is to investigate the mechanisms responsible for normal embryonic islet development, and to apply these findings to identifying islet stem-cells for therapeutic use.

In particular we have used the chick-quail chimera model to fate-map the cellular origins of islets. We have demonstrated for the first time that although the cells within islets are normally derived from embryonic epithelium, mesenchyme can also contribute cells. We are currently elucidating the signals responsible for islet mesenchyme-to-epithelial transition (iMET). Future research will continue to investigate epithelial-mesenchymal interactions during pancreatic development, as well as research into other aspects of foregut development with relvance to neonatal surgical conditions.