Randall T. Moon
University of Washington
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Primary Section: 23, Physiology and Pharmacology Secondary Section: 22, Cellular and Developmental Biology Membership Type:
Member
(elected 2015)
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Biosketch
Randall Moon is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a professor of pharmacology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is also the William and Marilyn Connor Chair, and founding director of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Washington. Dr. Moon received his BA degree in biology at New College, Sarasota, FL, and his PhD in zoology at the University of Washington. After completing his postdoctoral work in molecular biology at the California Institute of Technology, he joined the faculty of the University of Washington.
Research Interests
Wnts are a family of secreted proteins that activate receptor-mediated signal transduction pathways, leading to modulation of cell proliferation, cell fate, cell behavior, and the self-renewal of stem cells. Constitutive activation of the pathway via mutations is linked to cancer, while attenuated signaling is linked to neurodegenerative disease, bone density disease, and other conditions. Our lab focuses on three goals: identifying the normal roles of Wnt signaling in embryos and adults, dissecting the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which this signaling occurs, and leveraging this knowledge to develop therapies for acute and chronic medical conditions that involve aberrant Wnt signaling.
