Detecting proliferation heterogeneity within cancer cell populations

When stem cells proliferate, their progeny can either both remain stem cells, both differentiate, or have heterogeneous fates. Despite the importance of stem cells in development, adult physiology and cancer, we are only beginning to understand what controls their fate. In this project, we will use long term imaging tools and machine learning algorithms developed for cell competition by the Lowe and Charras labs to examine cell fate changes in stem cells either of embryonic origin or of cancerous origin.