We are interested in understanding how cells in the heart communicate through secreted proteins and nucleic acids, and in harnessing cellular communication networks to monitor and influence cell differentiation, stress response, and disease. Our research employs a combination of computational and large-scale sequencing strategies that build on human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiac cell models. A recent interest is to apply cell-type enriched and cell-type specific extracellular signals toward creating specific assays for cell purity during cardiomyocyte differentiation. 

We have openings at multiple levels for trainees interested in the research areas below:

- Identifying how secreted nucleic acids and proteins mediate crosstalk between cell types in the heart (e.g., cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts).

- Developing monitoring assays using extracellular molecules to assess the differentiation and purity of hPSC-derived cardiac cells.

- Modeling longitudinal changes in cellular communication patterns under stress and disease using computational, single-cell, and multi-omics strategies.

Please visit our website at https://www.laulab.net for details.