Gregory Underhill’s laboratory research is focused on studying cellular fate decisions, including in particular, the tissue development and engineering of the liver. These efforts are at the interface of cell and developmental biology, genomics, biomaterials, and microfabrication. The Underhill Lab aims to develop engineered culture platforms that enable the controlled presentation of microenvironmental signals, facilitate high-throughput parallel analysis of extracellular signals and intrinsic genetic/epigenetic alterations, and integrate with in vivo models of tissue development and diseases, such as cancer. Such systematic investigations are important for providing a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying local environmental regulation of cellular functions, and are needed for the advancement of novel cell-based therapeutic approaches in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Underhill earned his MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. He is the Associate Head of Graduation Programs for Bioengineering, and he has an affiliated appointment with the Beckman Institute.