Research
Cutting-Edge Genome Evolution Research
The Evolutionary Medicine Lab at Texas A&M University is dedicated to understanding how genomes shape development, disease, reproduction, and evolutionary diversity. By integrating genomics, computational biology, and comparative models, we investigate how genetic and cellular variation drives complex biological traits across species — with direct implications for both veterinary and human health.
Our research operates at the intersection of comparative genomics, cancer biology, and reproductive evolution, using naturally occurring variation in domestic animals and other mammals as powerful systems for discovery.
Evolutionary Genomics and Trait Diversity
The broad theme uniting our research is the evolutionary forces that shape genomic diversity. Using domestic animals and wildlife species as models, we examine how selection, structural variation, and regulatory evolution give rise to morphological, physiological, and disease-related traits.
Domestic dogs, in particular, provide a uniquely powerful system for studying rapid phenotypic diversification and inherited disease. By combining population genomics, functional annotation, and systems-level analyses, we seek to identify the genetic mechanisms underlying adaptation and trait evolution.
Cancer Genomics and Tumor Microenvironment
A central focus of the lab is the genomic and cellular architecture of naturally occurring cancers in companion animals. We use bulk and single-cell transcriptomics, deconvolution approaches, and systems-level analyses to dissect tumor heterogeneity and microenvironmental interactions. In particular, we study aggressive canine cancers such as osteosarcoma and melanoma to understand how malignant endothelial cells interact with immune and stromal compartments.
By leveraging single-cell references to interpret complex bulk RNA-seq datasets, we develop computational strategies that clarify cell-type composition and functional states within tumors. These approaches enhance our ability to identify therapeutic targets, biomarkers, and mechanisms of immune evasion. Because many canine cancers share striking biological similarities with human malignancies, our work contributes to translational oncology across species.
Reproductive Biology and Development
Beyond cancer, our lab investigates the genetic and molecular basis of mammalian reproduction and early development. We study how genomic architecture influences fertility, placentation, and embryonic growth, with particular attention to species-specific adaptations in reproductive strategies.
Through transcriptomic profiling and comparative genomics, we explore how regulatory networks guide reproductive tissues and how disruptions in these pathways contribute to infertility or developmental abnormalities. This work bridges evolutionary biology and clinical relevance, illuminating conserved and divergent mechanisms across mammals.
A Comparative and Translational Perspective
What distinguishes our laboratory is a comparative framework that connects evolution, reproduction, and disease biology. We view cancer as an evolutionary process, reproduction as a finely tuned genomic program shaped by selection, and genomic diversity as both a source of adaptation and vulnerability.
Our multidisciplinary team integrates bioinformatics, molecular biology, pathology, and evolutionary genetics to translate genomic insights into biological understanding. Through collaboration with clinicians, computational scientists, and evolutionary biologists, we aim to move from sequence to function — and from discovery to impact.
Ultimately, our mission is to use genomics to better understand complex traits across species, improving animal health while generating insights that extend to human biology.
