Department of Cell & Developmental Biology
Learn. Discover. Make the unknown known.

We rigorously pursue answers to the fundamental questions of biological and biomedical sciences. 

 Faculty and students in lab coats examining a specimen under a microscope in a research laboratory.
Investigating and Understanding the Fundamentals of Life

Since 1854, the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology has been dedicated to guiding the next generation of leaders to pursue rigorous fundamental questions in biological and biomedical sciences with an eye on the future.

Our faculty, students and trainees pursue discovery-driven research in the disciplines of cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, neuroscience, organogenesis, stem cell biology, and tissue repair and regeneration.
Contact Us
Department of Cell & Developmental Biology
3062 Biomedical Sciences Research Bldg.
109 Zina Pitcher Place
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2200

Email: [email protected]

CDB Internal site
ABOUT US

Explore the evolution of our Department over more than a century.
EDUCATION

We offer programs for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, as well as post-baccalaureate and post-doctoral trainees.
PEOPLE

Meet the remarkable faculty, staff, postdoc fellows, and students of CDB.

Cell & Development Biology department in action

Watch the Cell and Development Biology department in action on campus in this short video.
cell & developmental biology faculty group shot

CDB Primary Faculty

 graphic: Department of cell & developmental biology ranks 6th in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding.

CDB ranks 6th in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding.
Welcome from the Chair

In CDB, we value an eclectic mix of junior, mid-career and senior faculty, of model systems and cutting-edge technologies, and of trainees at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. By synergizing, we investigate, discover, and understand the biology that will shape the textbooks of tomorrow.

Department Chair, Cell & Developmental Biology
faculty profile pierre coulombe
Upcoming Events View all CDB Upcoming Events
4th Year Graduate Student Seminar Series with LiAng Yao, PhD Candidate
The CDB community is invited to join the 4th year graduate seminar series with LiAng Yao (Heemskerk Lab) presenting "Signaling Requirements for Human Primordial Germ-Cell Maintenance." This seminar will be held on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM in BSRB ABC Seminar Rooms, in-person only.
4th Year Graduate Student Seminar Series with Jiaqian Li, Ph.D. Candidate
The CDB community is invited to join the 4th year graduate seminar series with Jiaqian Li (Phyllis Hanson Lab) presenting "Lipid environment and lysosomal membrane resilience." This seminar will be held on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM in BSRB ABC Seminar Rooms, in-person only.
Featured News & Stories See all news
Department News
Congratulations to Jacquelyn Roberts!
Jacquelyn (Melanie Ohi lab) successfully defended her thesis, "Cryo-EM Insights into the Architecture and Functional Resilience of the Legionella pneumophila Dot/Icm Type IV Secretion System," on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
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Department News
New Publication by Bohan Chen (Heemskerk Lab)!
Nature Methods published the article "Extended culture of 2D gastruloids to model human mesoderm development."
 red cancer cell on red background
Health Lab
Researchers identify roles of key genes in colon cancer development
Researchers used mouse models and studies of colorectal cancer tissues to show that loss of SOX9 gene promotes tumor progression and the pathway it regulates can be a potential target for future treatments.
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Health Lab
Improved model system allows researchers to study embryo development
Research improves upon a popular experimental model revealing more of the inner workings of a critical period during the formation of an embryo.
 bioart
Department News
New Publication from the Tsai Lab!
The Journal of Cell Science published "An ER-associated structure sequesters misassembled FG-rich nucleoporins to help maintain nuclear pore complex function" by the Tsai Lab.
Department News
Congratulations to Jesse Cisneros Solis!
Jesse (Verhey lab) successfully defended his thesis, "Kinesin-3 KIF1A is a Diligent Worker," on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
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