At the Bageritz lab, we ask how developmental history shapes adult muscle biology. We study how muscle stem and progenitor cell pools are established during development, how intrinsic programs and extrinsic niche cues regulate their number, identity, and spatial organization, and how these early decisions influence adult muscle function, regeneration, aging, and disease. Our work combines Drosophila as an in vivo developmental model with human skeletal muscle tumor systems, including rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines and spheroid cultures from primary samples. Central to our approach is the development and use of advanced technologies that combine spatial transcriptomics and lipidomics, high-content imaging, AI-based microscopy image analysis, and cell type-specific CRISPR gene editing. Together, these tools allow us to comprehensively map cellular and molecular phenotypes, perturb candidate regulators, and establish causal relationships between developmental regulation and adult muscle outcomes.
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