Paul Robson, Ph.D.
Professor
Investigates evolution, development, and disease relevant to the human condition utilizing advanced molecular, cellular, and stem cell biology approaches.
Dr. Robson is a molecular cell biologist utilizing advanced technologies to understand the cellular composition of tissues, their development, and progression to disease. After graduate school (University of Toronto/Hospital for Sick Children) and postdoctoral studies (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) he started his independent laboratory at the Genome Institute of Singapore in the heart of Southeast Asia living less than a mile from the primary rain forest where Sir Alfred Russel Wallace began his field studies leading to his seminal work described in The Malay Archipelago. In Singapore, Dr. Robson made significant contributions to our understanding of the transcriptional regulatory programs controlling pluripotent stem cells and preimplantation development. An advocate of the Cell Theory defining the cell as the basic structural unit of all living systems, his lab was one of the first to exploit single cell technologies to identify molecular mechanisms of cell fate decisions. Shortly thereafter he established the Single Cell Omics Center in 2012 to provide access to this empowering technology to the Singapore research community. In October 2014 he moved back to North America, joined JAX, and established the Single Cell Biology Laboratory. He holds an adjunct faculty position in Genetics and Genome Sciences at UConn Health and is faculty in the Genetics and Developmental Biology and the Neuroscience areas of concentration in the UConn Health Graduate School.
In his current lab he continues to exploit advanced tissue mapping technologies and pluripotent stem cell differentiation strategies to understand human biology at single cell resolution. There is a particular emphasis on testing the antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis of George C. Williams, specifically focusing on understanding features of the human genome that have changed to establish molecular and cellular innovations in embryo implantation unique to primates. Understanding such genomic features and associated biological processes are relevant to female infertility/women’s health, cellular senescence pathways in aging, and tumor-stromal cell interactions, in addition to many other aspects of human biology.
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Research HighlightDecember 20, 2022Revealing the biology of senescent cells
JAX is playing a major role to bridge experimental mouse and human data and reveal the biology of senescent cells. -
Research HighlightJuly 21, 2022Investigating endometriosis, cell by cell
Many women worldwide are affected by endometriosis, though there has been relatively little research into causes or possible therapies. Elise Courtois, associate director of the Single Cell Biology group at The Jackson Laboratory, is a leading proponent for increasing awareness of and funding for endometriosis. -
Press ReleaseApril 01, 2019Premature cellular aging and multiple sclerosis
Research led by the UConn School of Medicine and JAX shows that senescence, a cellular aging process, is associated with an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis (MS). The finding explains a mechanism for MS disease progression as well as indicating a promising avenue for therapy development. -
Press ReleaseMarch 05, 2019JAX receives grant to learn why flu vaccines are less effective in the elderly
$2.8 million federal grant to The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) to understand the aging-related genomic changes in immune cells that affect responses to flu vaccines.
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Press ReleaseDecember 19, 2022An outstanding year of growth at The Jackson Laboratory
2022 has been a notable year for The Jackson Laboratory, with great achievements and many reasons to celebrate continued momentum for JAX’s mission. -
Tech CornerJune 23, 2021Single-cell research fuels discovery
Recent advances in single-cell methods and technology have had profound effects on research, leading to the discovery of new cell types, differential gene expression signatures within tissues, disease biomarkers, and more. -
Press ReleaseMarch 11, 2019Exploring the hypothalamus one neuron at a time
A collaborative team from UConn and The Jackson Laboratory have characterized neuron diversity in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), a critical coordinator of fundamental behaviors in the brain. The results provide important clues for understanding LHA neural circuits and the potential development of targeted neuropsychiatric therapies. -
Research HighlightJuly 17, 2018New retinal ganglion cell subtypes emerge from single-cell RNA sequencing
UConn, JAX researchers classify 40 subtypes of RGCs and identify additional subtypes, markers and transcription factors.