Department of Biology Ribble Endowment Seminar

"Space Medicine and the Future of Human Exploration"

A self photo of Dr. Afshin Beheshti in a navy blue collared button up shirt.
Dr. Afshin Beheshti 
 

Bio:
Afshin Beheshti, PhD is a Professor of Surgery and of Computational & Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School. He serves as Director of the newly launched Space Center for Space Biomedicine and as Associate Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Pitt​. In addition, Dr. Beheshti holds a visiting scientist appointment at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard​.

Abstract:
Human spaceflight presents significant health challenges driven by microgravity, space radiation, isolation, and other environmental stressors. Recent multi-omics research has revealed that mitochondrial dysfunction is a central biological consequence of space travel, contributing to systemic impacts such as accelerated aging, cardiovascular disease, and impaired metabolic function. Data from astronaut missions and ground-based space analogs demonstrate persistent mitochondrial suppression even after returning to Earth. This talk highlights how space serves as a unique accelerated model for studying human diseases and aging, offering insights applicable both to space exploration and terrestrial medicine. Using advanced 3D organoid models and multi-omics analysis, we have identified promising countermeasures, including the natural flavonoid Kaempferol, which restores mitochondrial bioenergetics and reverses radiation-induced gene expression changes in multiple tissues. These findings underscore the critical role of mitochondria as both biomarkers and therapeutic targets for sustaining human health in deep space missions, while also advancing precision medicine strategies on Earth.

Date:
Location:
THM 116

"Space Medicine and the Future of Human Exploration"

A self photo of Dr. Afshin Beheshti in a navy blue collared button up shirt.
Dr. Afshin Beheshti 
 

Bio:
Afshin Beheshti, PhD is a Professor of Surgery and of Computational & Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School. He serves as Director of the newly launched Space Center for Space Biomedicine and as Associate Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Pitt​. In addition, Dr. Beheshti holds a visiting scientist appointment at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard​.

Abstract:
Human spaceflight presents significant health challenges driven by microgravity, space radiation, isolation, and other environmental stressors. Recent multi-omics research has revealed that mitochondrial dysfunction is a central biological consequence of space travel, contributing to systemic impacts such as accelerated aging, cardiovascular disease, and impaired metabolic function. Data from astronaut missions and ground-based space analogs demonstrate persistent mitochondrial suppression even after returning to Earth. This talk highlights how space serves as a unique accelerated model for studying human diseases and aging, offering insights applicable both to space exploration and terrestrial medicine. Using advanced 3D organoid models and multi-omics analysis, we have identified promising countermeasures, including the natural flavonoid Kaempferol, which restores mitochondrial bioenergetics and reverses radiation-induced gene expression changes in multiple tissues. These findings underscore the critical role of mitochondria as both biomarkers and therapeutic targets for sustaining human health in deep space missions, while also advancing precision medicine strategies on Earth.

Date:
Location:
THM 116

“The Evolution of Gestation Length in Mammals”

Dr. Antonis Rokas smiling with a Scopes 100 backdrop in the background with a large chimpanzee figurine sitting next to him on a wooden desk stand.Dr. Antonis Rokas | Rokas Lab

Bio:
Antonis Rokas is a professor at the Departments of Biological Sciences and of Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University and a holder of the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Biological Sciences. He also serves as the founding director of the Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/evolution), an interdisciplinary center that unites scholars from diverse disciplines with broad interests and expertise in evolution-related fields. Rokas received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Crete, Greece (1998) and his Ph.D. from Edinburgh University, Scotland (2001).Before joining Vanderbilt in the summer of 2007, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2002–2005) and a research scientist at the Broad Institute (2005–2007). Research in the Rokas lab focuses on the study of the DNA record to gain insight into the patterns and processes of evolution. Through a combination of computational and experimental approaches, his current research aims to understand the molecular foundations of the fungal lifestyle, the reconstruction of the tree of life and the evolution of human pregnancy-associated traits.

Abstract:
Eutherian mammals have characteristic lengths of gestation that are key for reproductive success, but relatively little is known about the processes that determine the timing of parturition. This issue remains one of biology's great unsolved mysteries and has significant clinical relevance because preterm birth is the leading cause of infant and under 5-year-old child mortality worldwide. In my talk, I will describe my team’s and collaborative efforts to understand the genetic architecture of gestation length in (European) humans, the evolutionary forces acting on human loci involved (and an approach for extending this for any complex trait), and the evolution of gestation length in relation to other life history traits across mammals.


 

Date:
Location:
THM 116

“The Evolution of Gestation Length in Mammals”

Dr. Antonis Rokas smiling with a Scopes 100 backdrop in the background with a large chimpanzee figurine sitting next to him on a wooden desk stand.Dr. Antonis Rokas | Rokas Lab

Bio:
Antonis Rokas is a professor at the Departments of Biological Sciences and of Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University and a holder of the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Biological Sciences. He also serves as the founding director of the Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/evolution), an interdisciplinary center that unites scholars from diverse disciplines with broad interests and expertise in evolution-related fields. Rokas received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Crete, Greece (1998) and his Ph.D. from Edinburgh University, Scotland (2001).Before joining Vanderbilt in the summer of 2007, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2002–2005) and a research scientist at the Broad Institute (2005–2007). Research in the Rokas lab focuses on the study of the DNA record to gain insight into the patterns and processes of evolution. Through a combination of computational and experimental approaches, his current research aims to understand the molecular foundations of the fungal lifestyle, the reconstruction of the tree of life and the evolution of human pregnancy-associated traits.

Abstract:
Eutherian mammals have characteristic lengths of gestation that are key for reproductive success, but relatively little is known about the processes that determine the timing of parturition. This issue remains one of biology's great unsolved mysteries and has significant clinical relevance because preterm birth is the leading cause of infant and under 5-year-old child mortality worldwide. In my talk, I will describe my team’s and collaborative efforts to understand the genetic architecture of gestation length in (European) humans, the evolutionary forces acting on human loci involved (and an approach for extending this for any complex trait), and the evolution of gestation length in relation to other life history traits across mammals.


 

Date:
Location:
THM 116

“The Evolution of Gestation Length in Mammals”

Dr. Antonis Rokas smiling with a Scopes 100 backdrop in the background with a large chimpanzee figurine sitting next to him on a wooden desk stand.Dr. Antonis Rokas | Rokas Lab

Bio:
Antonis Rokas is a professor at the Departments of Biological Sciences and of Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University and a holder of the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Biological Sciences. He also serves as the founding director of the Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/evolution), an interdisciplinary center that unites scholars from diverse disciplines with broad interests and expertise in evolution-related fields. Rokas received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Crete, Greece (1998) and his Ph.D. from Edinburgh University, Scotland (2001).Before joining Vanderbilt in the summer of 2007, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2002–2005) and a research scientist at the Broad Institute (2005–2007). Research in the Rokas lab focuses on the study of the DNA record to gain insight into the patterns and processes of evolution. Through a combination of computational and experimental approaches, his current research aims to understand the molecular foundations of the fungal lifestyle, the reconstruction of the tree of life and the evolution of human pregnancy-associated traits.

Abstract:
Eutherian mammals have characteristic lengths of gestation that are key for reproductive success, but relatively little is known about the processes that determine the timing of parturition. This issue remains one of biology's great unsolved mysteries and has significant clinical relevance because preterm birth is the leading cause of infant and under 5-year-old child mortality worldwide. In my talk, I will describe my team’s and collaborative efforts to understand the genetic architecture of gestation length in (European) humans, the evolutionary forces acting on human loci involved (and an approach for extending this for any complex trait), and the evolution of gestation length in relation to other life history traits across mammals.


 

Date:
Location:
THM 116

“The Evolution of Gestation Length in Mammals”

Dr. Antonis Rokas smiling with a Scopes 100 backdrop in the background with a large chimpanzee figurine sitting next to him on a wooden desk stand.Dr. Antonis Rokas | Rokas Lab

Bio:
Antonis Rokas is a professor at the Departments of Biological Sciences and of Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University and a holder of the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Biological Sciences. He also serves as the founding director of the Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/evolution), an interdisciplinary center that unites scholars from diverse disciplines with broad interests and expertise in evolution-related fields. Rokas received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Crete, Greece (1998) and his Ph.D. from Edinburgh University, Scotland (2001).Before joining Vanderbilt in the summer of 2007, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2002–2005) and a research scientist at the Broad Institute (2005–2007). Research in the Rokas lab focuses on the study of the DNA record to gain insight into the patterns and processes of evolution. Through a combination of computational and experimental approaches, his current research aims to understand the molecular foundations of the fungal lifestyle, the reconstruction of the tree of life and the evolution of human pregnancy-associated traits.

Abstract:
Eutherian mammals have characteristic lengths of gestation that are key for reproductive success, but relatively little is known about the processes that determine the timing of parturition. This issue remains one of biology's great unsolved mysteries and has significant clinical relevance because preterm birth is the leading cause of infant and under 5-year-old child mortality worldwide. In my talk, I will describe my team’s and collaborative efforts to understand the genetic architecture of gestation length in (European) humans, the evolutionary forces acting on human loci involved (and an approach for extending this for any complex trait), and the evolution of gestation length in relation to other life history traits across mammals.


 

Date:
Location:
THM 116

“The Evolution of Gestation Length in Mammals”

Dr. Antonis Rokas smiling with a Scopes 100 backdrop in the background with a large chimpanzee figurine sitting next to him on a wooden desk stand.Dr. Antonis Rokas | Rokas Lab

Bio:
Antonis Rokas is a professor at the Departments of Biological Sciences and of Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University and a holder of the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Biological Sciences. He also serves as the founding director of the Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/evolution), an interdisciplinary center that unites scholars from diverse disciplines with broad interests and expertise in evolution-related fields. Rokas received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Crete, Greece (1998) and his Ph.D. from Edinburgh University, Scotland (2001).Before joining Vanderbilt in the summer of 2007, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2002–2005) and a research scientist at the Broad Institute (2005–2007). Research in the Rokas lab focuses on the study of the DNA record to gain insight into the patterns and processes of evolution. Through a combination of computational and experimental approaches, his current research aims to understand the molecular foundations of the fungal lifestyle, the reconstruction of the tree of life and the evolution of human pregnancy-associated traits.

Abstract:
Eutherian mammals have characteristic lengths of gestation that are key for reproductive success, but relatively little is known about the processes that determine the timing of parturition. This issue remains one of biology's great unsolved mysteries and has significant clinical relevance because preterm birth is the leading cause of infant and under 5-year-old child mortality worldwide. In my talk, I will describe my team’s and collaborative efforts to understand the genetic architecture of gestation length in (European) humans, the evolutionary forces acting on human loci involved (and an approach for extending this for any complex trait), and the evolution of gestation length in relation to other life history traits across mammals.


 

Date:
Location:
THM 116

“The Evolution of Gestation Length in Mammals”

Dr. Antonis Rokas smiling with a Scopes 100 backdrop in the background with a large chimpanzee figurine sitting next to him on a wooden desk stand.Dr. Antonis Rokas | Rokas Lab

Bio:
Antonis Rokas is a professor at the Departments of Biological Sciences and of Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University and a holder of the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Biological Sciences. He also serves as the founding director of the Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/evolution), an interdisciplinary center that unites scholars from diverse disciplines with broad interests and expertise in evolution-related fields. Rokas received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Crete, Greece (1998) and his Ph.D. from Edinburgh University, Scotland (2001).Before joining Vanderbilt in the summer of 2007, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2002–2005) and a research scientist at the Broad Institute (2005–2007). Research in the Rokas lab focuses on the study of the DNA record to gain insight into the patterns and processes of evolution. Through a combination of computational and experimental approaches, his current research aims to understand the molecular foundations of the fungal lifestyle, the reconstruction of the tree of life and the evolution of human pregnancy-associated traits.

Abstract:
Eutherian mammals have characteristic lengths of gestation that are key for reproductive success, but relatively little is known about the processes that determine the timing of parturition. This issue remains one of biology's great unsolved mysteries and has significant clinical relevance because preterm birth is the leading cause of infant and under 5-year-old child mortality worldwide. In my talk, I will describe my team’s and collaborative efforts to understand the genetic architecture of gestation length in (European) humans, the evolutionary forces acting on human loci involved (and an approach for extending this for any complex trait), and the evolution of gestation length in relation to other life history traits across mammals.


 

Date:
Location:
THM 116

"Orchestrating Mammalian Tissue Healing at the Organ Scale"

Image of Dr. Yvon WoappiDr. Yvon Woappi | Woappi Lab

Bio:
Dr. Yvon Woappi is the Herbert and Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Dermatology, and Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University. His research leverages gene editing and multiomic technologies to uncover how autonomous multicellular orchestration facilitates deep wound repair – a process critical to many conditions including diabetic ulcers and carcinomas. Dr. Woappi earned his Ph.D. as a Grace Jordan McFadden Fellow at the University of South Carolina and completed his postdoctoral training in the Harvard Dermatology Research Training Program at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Woappi’s pioneering early-career research is laying the foundation for synthetic wound regeneration, a systems bioengineering approach that leverages cellular heterogeneity to enhance tissue regeneration.

Abstract:
As the organ most frequently exposed to predatory pressures, the integument has acquired broad functions, including camouflage, thermoregulation, sensory perception, and tissue repair. These roles are executed through a complex interplay of tissue substructures, including several mini-organ appendages (hair follicles, sebaceous glands, arrector pili muscle, and assorted pilosebaceous units) and five central adnexal structures (blood vessels, sensory neurons, collagenous tissues, immune components, and deep fascia), all embedded within three superimposed tissue strata (the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis). Given this intricate architecture, the healing of deep skin wounds requires a coordinated organ-level response involving varied cell populations originating from virtually all three embryonic germ layers—ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. However, a comprehensive understanding of the cellular and molecular logic orchestrating this crosstissue response in mammals remains incomplete. Here, we present the Organ-Scale Wound Healing Atlases (OWHA), a comprehensive multiomic single-cell and spatial transcriptomic dataset that captures the dynamic microanatomical tissue niches of the mammalian integument during the entire wound healing sequence, including early and late healing phases. By incorporating multi-omics data across all major phases of healing, OWHA uncovered novel emergent healing cell states and their coordinated cell fate decisions uniquely (multilineage crosstalk) executed after injury, and delineated critical tissue trajectories required for eKective healing of deep wounds. Importantly, comparative analysis between human and mouse revealed conserved network between the epithelial and neuro-endothelial vasculature....(Add missing groups in human only found in our multi modal approach) By providing deeper mechanistic insights of mammalian tissue adaptations for injury response, OWHA serves as a valuable resource for understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying wound healing in the mammalian integument.

A picture of mouse skin with hair follicles.

Date:
Location:
THM 116

"Orchestrating Mammalian Tissue Healing at the Organ Scale"

Image of Dr. Yvon WoappiDr. Yvon Woappi | Woappi Lab

Bio:
Dr. Yvon Woappi is the Herbert and Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Dermatology, and Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University. His research leverages gene editing and multiomic technologies to uncover how autonomous multicellular orchestration facilitates deep wound repair – a process critical to many conditions including diabetic ulcers and carcinomas. Dr. Woappi earned his Ph.D. as a Grace Jordan McFadden Fellow at the University of South Carolina and completed his postdoctoral training in the Harvard Dermatology Research Training Program at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Woappi’s pioneering early-career research is laying the foundation for synthetic wound regeneration, a systems bioengineering approach that leverages cellular heterogeneity to enhance tissue regeneration.

Abstract:
As the organ most frequently exposed to predatory pressures, the integument has acquired broad functions, including camouflage, thermoregulation, sensory perception, and tissue repair. These roles are executed through a complex interplay of tissue substructures, including several mini-organ appendages (hair follicles, sebaceous glands, arrector pili muscle, and assorted pilosebaceous units) and five central adnexal structures (blood vessels, sensory neurons, collagenous tissues, immune components, and deep fascia), all embedded within three superimposed tissue strata (the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis). Given this intricate architecture, the healing of deep skin wounds requires a coordinated organ-level response involving varied cell populations originating from virtually all three embryonic germ layers—ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. However, a comprehensive understanding of the cellular and molecular logic orchestrating this crosstissue response in mammals remains incomplete. Here, we present the Organ-Scale Wound Healing Atlases (OWHA), a comprehensive multiomic single-cell and spatial transcriptomic dataset that captures the dynamic microanatomical tissue niches of the mammalian integument during the entire wound healing sequence, including early and late healing phases. By incorporating multi-omics data across all major phases of healing, OWHA uncovered novel emergent healing cell states and their coordinated cell fate decisions uniquely (multilineage crosstalk) executed after injury, and delineated critical tissue trajectories required for eKective healing of deep wounds. Importantly, comparative analysis between human and mouse revealed conserved network between the epithelial and neuro-endothelial vasculature....(Add missing groups in human only found in our multi modal approach) By providing deeper mechanistic insights of mammalian tissue adaptations for injury response, OWHA serves as a valuable resource for understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying wound healing in the mammalian integument.

A picture of mouse skin with hair follicles.

Date:
Location:
THM 116