Research Summary

I am a developmental biologist as well as a pediatrician and clinical geneticist, and I am interested in translating an understanding of developmental mechanisms into advances for regenerative medicine. After completing the MD/PhD degrees and a pediatric residency, I trained in Medical Genetics. As a physician scientist, I treat patients with various syndromes, including those that predispose patients to cancer. As the Chief of the Division of Genetics at UCSF and Chair of the Division of Craniofacial Anomalies at UCSF, I take a strong interest in integrating clinical and research activities. Work in my research group centers on organ development and regeneration, with a major focus on understanding the processes underlying stem cell-based renewal and on integrating evolutionary and developmental approaches.

Research Funding

  • September 5, 2014 - August 31, 2024 - The roles of regional specialization, mechanical forces and epigenetic memory after perturbation and injury of the intestinal stem cell microenvironment, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NIDDK, Sponsor Award ID: U01DK103147
  • September 22, 2016 - June 30, 2024 - Harnessing natural stem cell-based strategies for mammalian dental renewal, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NIDCR, Sponsor Award ID: R35DE026602
  • July 1, 2019 - April 30, 2024 - Cellular and molecular control of tooth morphogenesis, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NIDCR, Sponsor Award ID: R01DE028496
  • March 1, 2018 - January 31, 2023 - Regulation of organogenesis through regional variations in tissue mechanics, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NIDCR, Sponsor Award ID: R01DE027620

Education

University of California, Berkeley, B.A., 1993, Spanish
Yale University, New Haven, CT, Ph.D., 1999, Genetics
Yale University, New Haven, CT, M.D., 2000
Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, 2000-2003, Pediatrics
University of California, San Francisco, 2003-2007, Clinical Genetics

Honors & Awards

  • 2010
    New Innovator Award, National Institutes of Health
  • 2013
    Physician Scientist Award, California Institute of Regenerative Medicine
  • 2013
    Elected Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation
  • 2013
    Outstanding Faculty Mentorship Award, UCSF Graduate Students' Association
  • 2014
    Larry L. Hillblom Distinguished Professor in Craniofacial Anomalies, UCSF
  • 2014
    Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 2015
    E. Mead Johnson Award, Society for Pediatric Research
  • 2015
    Faculty Research Lecturer Award, UCSF School of Dentistry
  • 2016
    Charles J. Epstein Professor of Human Genetics, UCSF
  • 2016
    Inaugural Sustaining Outstanding Achievement in Research (SOAR) R35 Award, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
  • 2017
    Craniofacial Biology Distinguished Scientist Award, International Association for Dental Research
  • 2017
    Lawrence A. Tabak Lecturer, University of Rochester
  • 2018
    Elected Member, National Academy of Medicine (NAM)

Selected Publications

  1. Shieh JT, Penon-Portmann M, Wong KHY, Levy-Sakin M, Verghese M, Slavotinek A, Gallagher RC, Mendelsohn BA, Tenney J, Beleford D, Perry H, Chow SK, Sharo AG, Brenner SE, Qi Z, Yu J, Klein OD, Martin D, Kwok PY, Boffelli D. Publisher Correction: Application of full-genome analysis to diagnose rare monogenic disorders. NPJ Genom Med. 2021 Oct 12; 6(1):88.  View on PubMed
  2. Palikuqi B, Rispal J, Klein O. Good Neighbors: The Niche that Fine Tunes Mammalian Intestinal Regeneration. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2021 Sep 27.  View on PubMed
  3. Shieh JT, Penon-Portmann M, Wong KHY, Levy-Sakin M, Verghese M, Slavotinek A, Gallagher RC, Mendelsohn BA, Tenney J, Beleford D, Perry H, Chow SK, Sharo AG, Brenner SE, Qi Z, Yu J, Klein OD, Martin D, Kwok PY, Boffelli D. Application of full-genome analysis to diagnose rare monogenic disorders. NPJ Genom Med. 2021 Sep 23; 6(1):77.  View on PubMed
  4. Tidyman WE, Goodwin AF, Maeda Y, Klein OD, Rauen KA. MEK-inhibitor-mediated rescue of skeletal myopathy caused by activating Hras mutation in a Costello syndrome mouse model. Dis Model Mech. 2021 Sep 23.  View on PubMed
  5. Cazares O, Haque AS, Klein OD. Salivary gland: A budding genius. Dev Cell. 2021 Aug 23; 56(16):2271-2272.  View on PubMed
  6. Kim R, Yu T, Li J, Prochazka J, Sharir A, Green JBA, Klein OD. Early perturbation of Wnt signaling reveals patterning and invagination-evagination control points in molar tooth development. Development. 2021 07 15; 148(14).  View on PubMed
  7. Matthews HS, Palmer RL, Baynam GS, Quarrell OW, Klein OD, Spritz RA, Hennekam RC, Walsh S, Shriver M, Weinberg SM, Hallgrimsson B, Hammond P, Penington AJ, Peeters H, Claes PD. Large-scale open-source three-dimensional growth curves for clinical facial assessment and objective description of facial dysmorphism. Sci Rep. 2021 06 09; 11(1):12175.  View on PubMed
  8. Tallapragada NP, Cambra HM, Wald T, Keough Jalbert S, Abraham DM, Klein OD, Klein AM. Inflation-collapse dynamics drive patterning and morphogenesis in intestinal organoids. Cell Stem Cell. 2021 09 02; 28(9):1516-1532.e14.  View on PubMed
  9. Sanman LE, Chen IW, Bieber JM, Steri V, Trentesaux C, Hann B, Klein OD, Wu LF, Altschuler SJ. Transit-Amplifying Cells Coordinate Changes in Intestinal Epithelial Cell-Type Composition. Dev Cell. 2021 02 08; 56(3):356-365.e9.  View on PubMed
  10. Stella I, Helleringer M, Joud A, Chastagner P, Thomas R, Klein O. Optic pathway tumor in children: Toward a new classification for neurosurgical use. Neurochirurgie. 2021 Jul; 67(4):336-345.  View on PubMed
  11. Wong JC, Perez-Mancera PA, Huang TQ, Kim J, Grego-Bessa J, Del Pilar Alzamora M, Kogan SC, Sharir A, Keefe SH, Morales CE, Schanze D, Castel P, Hirose K, Huang GN, Zenker M, Sheppard D, Klein OD, Tuveson DA, Braun BS, Shannon K. KrasP34R and KrasT58I mutations induce distinct RASopathy phenotypes in mice. JCI Insight. 2020 11 05; 5(21).  View on PubMed
  12. Toda S, McKeithan WL, Hakkinen TJ, Lopez P, Klein OD, Lim WA. Engineering synthetic morphogen systems that can program multicellular patterning. Science. 2020 10 16; 370(6514):327-331.  View on PubMed
  13. Lu Y, Deng R, You H, Xu Y, Antos C, Sun J, Klein OD, Lu P. Asymmetric Stratification-Induced Polarity Loss and Coordinated Individual Cell Movements Drive Directional Migration of Vertebrate Epithelium. Cell Rep. 2020 10 13; 33(2):108246.  View on PubMed
  14. Krivanek J, Soldatov RA, Kastriti ME, Chontorotzea T, Herdina AN, Petersen J, Szarowska B, Landova M, Matejova VK, Holla LI, Kuchler U, Zdrilic IV, Vijaykumar A, Balic A, Marangoni P, Klein OD, Neves VCM, Yianni V, Sharpe PT, Harkany T, Metscher BD, Bajénoff M, Mina M, Fried K, Kharchenko PV, Adameyko I. Dental cell type atlas reveals stem and differentiated cell types in mouse and human teeth. Nat Commun. 2020 09 23; 11(1):4816.  View on PubMed
  15. Samuels BD, Aho R, Brinkley JF, Bugacov A, Feingold E, Fisher S, Gonzalez-Reiche AS, Hacia JG, Hallgrimsson B, Hansen K, Harris MP, Ho TV, Holmes G, Hooper JE, Jabs EW, Jones KL, Kesselman C, Klein OD, Leslie EJ, Li H, Liao EC, Long H, Lu N, Maas RL, Marazita ML, Mohammed J, Prescott S, Schuler R, Selleri L, Spritz RA, Swigut T, van Bakel H, Visel A, Welsh I, Williams C, Williams TJ, Wysocka J, Yuan Y, Chai Y. FaceBase 3: analytical tools and FAIR resources for craniofacial and dental research. Development. 2020 09 21; 147(18).  View on PubMed
  16. Joud A, Stella I, Klein O. Diffuse infiltrative pontine glioma biopsy in children with neuronavigation, frameless procedure: A single center experience of 10 cases. Neurochirurgie. 2020 Nov; 66(5):345-348.  View on PubMed
  17. Sweat YY, Sweat M, Yu W, Sanz-Navarro M, Zhang L, Sun Z, Eliason S, Klein OD, Michon F, Chen Z, Amendt BA. Sox2 Controls Periderm and Rugae Development to Inhibit Oral Adhesions. J Dent Res. 2020 11; 99(12):1397-1405.  View on PubMed
  18. Wu J, Tian Y, Han L, Liu C, Sun T, Li L, Yu Y, Lamichhane B, D'Souza RN, Millar SE, Krumlauf R, Ornitz DM, Feng JQ, Klein O, Zhao H, Zhang F, Linhardt RJ, Wang X. FAM20B-catalyzed glycosaminoglycans control murine tooth number by restricting FGFR2b signaling. BMC Biol. 2020 07 14; 18(1):87.  View on PubMed
  19. Goodwin AF, Chen CP, Vo NT, Bush JO, Klein OD. YAP/TAZ Regulate Elevation and Bone Formation of the Mouse Secondary Palate. J Dent Res. 2020 11; 99(12):1387-1396.  View on PubMed
  20. Hagerling C, Owyong M, Sitarama V, Wang CY, Lin C, van den Bijgaart RJE, Koopman CD, Brenot A, Nanjaraj A, Wärnberg F, Jirström K, Klein OD, Werb Z, Plaks V. LGR5 in breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ: a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target. BMC Cancer. 2020 Jun 10; 20(1):542.  View on PubMed

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