Robb Krumlauf

Biography

If you think there are people-oriented careers, and then there is science, you haven’t met Robb Krumlauf. Whether he is recounting his pioneering studies of genes regulating the vertebrate body plan or envisioning Stowers’ role in the future of biomedical research, one word dominates Krumlauf’s conversation—collegiality. “I enjoy the process of discovery,” says Krumlauf, who is Investigator and Scientific Director at Stowers. “That satisfaction is personal at some level, but I really enjoy sharing success in a group as much as individually.”

Research Interest

Molecular studies and genomic analyses have revealed that a wide range of animals have a surprisingly similar collection of genes in their genomes. The basis for generating and patterning different tissues within an animal and diversity between species therefore largely depends upon mechanisms that control how and when these genes are utilized. For this reason, it is important to understand the “wiring blueprint” or regulatory networks which control the dynamic patterns of gene expression and cell signaling necessary to form tissues and organs in development. This also facilitates approaches for exploring how such gene regulatory networks may vary in contributing to diversity during evolution. Knowledge of these interactive regulatory networks is also relevant to human health because alterations in their activities can be associated with clinical abnormalities and disease.