D'Juan Farmer, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
Research Areas
D'Juan Farmer, Ph.D., is a molecular biologist dedicated to understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the development of the skull and face. His research focuses on uncovering how disruptions to these processes lead to common birth defects, with the ultimate goal of developing new therapies.
Farmer combines mouse and zebrafish models with cutting-edge genomic and imaging technologies to understand the developmental basis of cranial suture formation and the origins of craniosynostosis, a common congenital anomaly in which the fibrous joints between bones of the skull fuse prematurely.
By investigating the role of skeletal progenitors and stem cells in craniofacial bone growth, Farmer aims to uncover key principles of growth control and to understand how dysfunction in these progenitors leads to premature bone fusions, which limit brain growth.
His research into genetic mutations underlying craniofacial development could lead to new therapies and interventions for patients with congenital anomalies.
“It was not so much the idea of becoming a clinician who heals others that captured my imagination; what captivated me was the idea of discovering new ways to heal. Discovery, then, would be my path.”
- Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
Research Projects
- Understanding the origins and dysfunction of embryonic progenitors at cranial sutures
- Dissecting the gene regulatory network that controls cranial suture formation
- Uncovering the basis of syndromic and non-syndromic craniosynostosis
- Investigating how biomechanical signals are interpreted at cranial sutures to control skeletal stem cells Cells that have the ability to differentiate into multiple types of cells and make an unlimited number of copies of themselves. stem cells Cells that have the ability to differentiate into multiple types of cells and make an unlimited number of copies of themselves.
-
Fellowship
- Developmental Biology, University of Southern California, 2022
Degree
- Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UC San Francisco, 2017
-