Welcome to the Notochord and Intervertebral Disc Research Lab
Alexa Burger, PhD,
Principal Investigator & Lab Director
Principal Investigator & Lab Director
Alexa Burger, PhD,
Associate Professor
I have a long-standing interest in mechanisms of development and disease, with key focus on mesodermal lineages, skeletal anomalies, and disease variant discovery. I further heavily invest into advancing genetic tools for model organism research that aid in studying mechanisms of vertebrate development and human disease. I use zebrafish and mice as principal model systems, supplemented by work in chicken, to strengthen our findings to human physiology.
Title:
Associate Professor, Department of Orthopedics, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Email:
Primary research interests:
- Long-standing interest in mechanisms of development and disease.
- Focus on mesodermal lineages, skeletal anomalies, and disease variant discovery.
- Advancing genetic tools for model organism research to study vertebrate development and human disease.
- Use of zebrafish and mice as principal model systems, supplemented by work in chicken.
- Translating findings from model systems to human physiology.
Links to complete bibliography of published work:
https://profiles.ucdenver.edu/display/21670728
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1pCKaZDS5xhICO/bibliography/public/
Education:
B.Sc. University of Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
M.Sc. University of Karlsruhe, and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
Ph.D. University of Zurich and Children's Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
Postdoc Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston
Instructor University of Zurich, Switzerland
Academic appointments:
Assistant Research Professor University of Zurich, Switzerland
Associate Research Professor, Department of Pediatrics, CUAMC
Associate Professor, Department of Orthopedics, CUAMC
Social Media:
Currently Hiring Lab Members:
Description
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Department: Orthopedics
Job Title: Post-Doctoral Fellow
Position #00828725 – Requisition #35442
Job Summary:
The Burger laboratory in the Colorado Program for Musculoskeletal Research (CPMR), within the Department of Orthopedics, is seeking to fill the position of a Postdoctoral Fellow. This position is planned to last 2 years, with the option to extend.
In the Burger lab, we are interested in early vertebrate development of the axial and lateral plate mesoderm using zebrafish and mice as models, as well as associated structural birth defects, such as spina bifida, or defects affecting the heart/blood/bone/kidney. We are further interested in how the axial mesoderm develops into the intervertebral discs, and associated underlying molecular mechanisms, as well as intervertebral disc disease, such as IVD degeneration.
The Postdoctoral Fellow is expected to be the project lead for several ongoing research projects, including design of experimental setup, data generation, data interpretation, and manuscript writing, with the following key responsibilities:
Apply Today!
Job Description
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Department: Orthopedics
Job Title: Research Professional or Lead, Spinal Development and Disease
Position: 00828755 – Requisition: 35389
Job Summary:
The Burger laboratory in the Colorado Program for Musculoskeletal Research, within the Department of Orthopedics, is seeking to fill the position of a Research Professional or Lead for research relating to vertebrate notochord and intervertebral disc development and disease. In the Burger lab, we are interested in early vertebrate development of the axial and lateral plate mesoderm using zebrafish and mice as models, as well as associated structural birth defects, such as spina bifida, or defects affecting the heart/blood/bone/kidney. We are further interested in how the axial mesoderm develops into the intervertebral discs, and associated underlying molecular mechanisms, as well as intervertebral disc disease, such as IVD degeneration. This position is expected to be the research lead for several ongoing projects, including design of experimental setup, data generation, and data interpretation.