My laboratory offers very fruitful and multi-disciplinary approaches for understanding the dynamics and differentiation of stem cells. We use multiple in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro models ranging from Drosophila to mouse to hESC and iPSC to understand the regulation of regeneration. In recent years we have shown that microRNAs and HIF pathway play key roles in regulating adult and embryonic stem cells. Through unbiased Drosophila interaction screen we discovered that increasing the sphingosine-1-phosphate pathway (S1P) has therapeutic effects on muscular dystrophies. Increased S1P levels also show a beneficial effect in adult stem cell based muscle regeneration in mdx, the mouse DMD model. These basic studies in my laboratory are directed towards long-term goals of understanding stem cell regulation in development and disease.