Welcome to the Loots Laboratory
Our group is interested in understanding how functional elements are encoded in the human genome and how proteins and transcriptional regulatory elements orchestrate tissue- and cell-type specific gene regulatory networks in health and disease states. We focus on noncoding regulatory elements that cause congenital skeletal defects and contribute to susceptibility to bone and cartilage degenerative disorders such as osteoporosis and arthritis. We use comparative genomics, genetic engineering, bioinformatics analysis, single-cell RNA-seq, and other high throughput genomic approaches to test our genomic-driven hypotheses. Our studies emphasize on the role of Wnt Signaling in bone, cartilage, and cancer.
Gabriela Loots, Ph.D., is the Doris Ellison Linn Chair in Bone Biology and Director of the Orthopaedic Research Laboratory in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. The focus of the Loots lab is to understand how functional elements are encoded in the human genome and how proteins and transcriptional regulatory elements orchestrate tissue- and cell-type specific gene regulatory networks that contribute to susceptibility to bone and cartilage degenerative disorders such as osteoporosis and arthritis. The Loots group utilizes comparative genomics, genetic engineering, bioinformatics analysis, single-cell RNA sequencing, and other high throughput genomic approaches to test genomic-driven hypotheses. We emphasize our studies on the role of Wnt Signaling in bone, cartilage and cancer. Loots received a B.S. degree in Developmental Biology and Genetics from the University of California at Irvine and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California at Berkeley. She conducted a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley Labs in the Genome Biology Program. During her 20-year career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, she has led a successful program in human health sciences, employing sequencing technology and animal models to understand genetic causes of human diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and skeletal development.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29981832/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29176883/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27601226/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22886088/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22155511/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21436889/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17696759/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17210927/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15215390/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10753117/
- Editorial Board Member: Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (JBMR) (2021 - present)
- Associate Editor, JBMR Plus (2021 - present)
- Fellow, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (2021)
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Mid-career Award (2018)
- Faculty of 1000 ranking for co-authored publication in Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (2012)
- Alexander Hollaender Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow Award (Department of Energy/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) (2000-2002)
Click here to find a complete list of publications.
- American Physiological Society
- Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
- American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
- Orthopedics Research Society (ORS)
- American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) - 2000 - present
Alessia Morato, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Cesar Morfin, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Xin Xing, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Samhitha Tumkur
BME graduate student
Nosisa Ncube
Technician
