Molecular genetics and development

The Schmidt Lab studies intricate gene regulatory mechanisms that function in the development and maintenance of complex organisms like ourselves. Most of our work is based on analyses of mouse lines we produce that bear targeted mutations (e.g., “knockouts”); however, our approaches to understanding the roles of the mutated genes are broad, including phylogenetics, genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, histology, biophysics, genomics, proteomics, and other techniques. The biological processes we are studying include early embryonic patterning and development, placental development, germ cell maturation, immune cell functions, and the maternal/fetal immune interaction.