
Stas Shvartsman
Academic Title-Position: Director of Graduate Studies, Princeton University
Department: Chemical and Biological Engineering
University: Princeton University
Research Lab: Shvartsman Lab
Research Group Member: Organoids
Current Research
Topic: Organoids
Contributing Trainees: Rocky Diegmiller, Caroline Doherty
The overarching goal of our work is to understand collective dynamics in clusters of cells joined by stable cytoplasmic bridges, which are critical for the growth of transcriptionally quiescent oocytes in multiple organisms. Fundamental studies and medical research motivated by human fertility defects continue to reveal molecular and cellular features of the germline cell clusters (cysts), but our understanding of the mechanisms essential for the ultimate success of their development is rudimentary at best. Capitalizing on the highly conserved nature of germline development, we are using Drosophila as a system amenable to highly integrated combination of genetic and imaging experiments and theory to establish predictive computational models accounting for multiple stages of germline development, from the first divisions of a single germline stem cell, to collective dynamics within growing cysts and their interactions with supporting soma.