Research Interests
Our lab is committed to understand the mechanisms of impairment and failure of biological systems under pathological conditions with emphasis on preventing or reversing these deleterious processes. We focus on tissue stem cells, vasculature, and the peripheral nervous system present in different tissues microenvironments. We are interested in studying mechanisms that lead to cell behavior changes during development, throughout life and disease. Understanding how these mechanisms are affected in cancer will help develop targets for novel therapies. For this, we take advantage of state-of-the-art technologies, including two-photon and confocal microscopy, in vivo lineage-tracing methods, FACS-sorting, single-cell RNA sequencing, organ, tissue and cell transplantation, neural circuitry analysis, and sophisticated Cre/loxP techniques in combination with cancer mouse models. Thus, our ultimate goal is to identify novel potential cellular and molecular targets for cancer therapy.
Team
 Alexander Birbrair, PhDPrincipal Investigator abirbrair@dermatology.wisc.edu Alexander Birbrair received his Bachelor’s Biomedical degree from Santa Cruz State University in Brazil. He moved to North Carolina, where he finished his PhD in Neuroscience under the mentorship of Osvaldo Delbono. Then, he joined as a posdoc in Stem Cell Biology at Paul Frenette’s laboratory at Albert Einstein School of Medicine. In 2016, he was appointed faculty at Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, where he started his own lab. His laboratory is interested in understanding how the cellular components of different tissues function and control disease progression. His group explores the roles of specific cell populations in the tissue microenvironment by using state-of-the-art techniques. |
 Matheus Brandemarte SeverinoGraduate Student mseverino@dermatology.wisc.edu |
Undergraduates
 Sriram ArvindUndergraduate Student Originally from Boise, Idaho but grew up in Brookfield, Wisconsin. He is studying neurobiology and hopes to pursue medicine and apply to medical school after his undergraduate studies. |
 Liron GamlielUndergraduate Student From Gaithersburg, Maryland, and is majoring in biology with a certificate in global health. She is on the pre-health track and plans to work in healthcare in the future. |
 Allison (Ally) HaldaneUndergraduate Student From Lake Bluff, Illinois. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology and plans to get her master’s degree in forensics or immunology, but she also has an interest in pursuing research in oncology. |
 Taylor LeFeverUndergraduate Student From Green Bay, Wisconsin and is a pre-PA student majoring in Biology and getting a certificate in Global Health. She plans to go to PA school after her undergraduate education and hopes to specialize in either surgery or dermatology. |
 Mason PennUndergraduate Student From Long Beach, New York, and is majoring in Pharmacology and Toxicology. After he graduates, he plans on taking a few years off before going into a professional program. |
 Sally StuartUndergraduate Student From Orange County, California, and is a pre-medical student with a Global Health major and Environmental Studies certificate. She plans on attending medical school after graduation in hopes of becoming a dermatologist. |
Contact
(For research-related inquiries only. Patients and others with medical questions should call 608-287-2620)
abirbrair@dermatology.wisc.edu
608-262-1117
Location
Dermatology Research Laboratories
1300 University Avenue
MSC Room 4385
Madison WI, 53706