Christian Petersen Assistant Professor

Research Summary: 

The Petersen lab investigates the molecular basis for tissue regeneration and control of adult pluripotent stem cells using the planarian model system, Schmidtea mediterranea. Using next generation sequencing, high content RNAi screening and quantitative imaging, we investigate injury signaling, the re­establishment of tissue regionality, control of growth and the assembly of differentiated structures.

Selected Publications:

Polarized notum Activation at Wounds Inhibits Wnt Function to Promote Planarian Head Regeneration. Petersen CP and Reddien PW. Science. 2011 May 13;332(6031):852-855.

Wnt Signaling and the Polarity of the Primary Body Axis. Petersen CP and Reddien PW. Cell. 2009 December 11;139(6):1056-1068.

A wound-induced Wnt expression program controls planarian regeneration polarity. Petersen CP and Reddien PW. PNAS. 2009 October 6;106(40):17061-17066.

Smed-βcatenin-1 Is Required for Anteroposterior Blastema Polarity in Planarian Regeneration. Petersen CP and Reddien PW. Science. 2008 January 18;319(5861):327-330.

Selected Honors:

NIH Director's New Innovator Award recipient, 2013

Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar in Aging Award, 2011

American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant, Northwestern University, 2011

American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2007

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 2000

Goldwater Scholarship in Physical Sciences, 1998