The neural crest is an extraordinary population of multipotent stem cells, unique to vertebrates, that plays a pivotal role in embryogenesis. Arising at the borders of the neural plate, these cells ...

The Wei lab is interested in the regulation of cell signaling and tissue homeostasis by metalloproteinases and other proteins in development and disease. Project 1. The mechanisms of neural crest ...

Craniofacial birth defects, including cleft lip and palate, are among the most common human congenital malformations. These craniofacial anomalies occur because of defects in neural crest cells, whose ...

A crucial new mechanism that helps explain how the heart’s major blood vessels form during early development – and how disruptions to this process can lead to serious congenital heart defects – has ...