Michael Boylan, Ph.D.
- Center for Cancer Research
- National Cancer Institute
- Building 560, Room 21-11
- Frederick, MD 21702
- 301-846-6280
- michael.boylan@nih.gov
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Michael Boylan is a Research Fellow interested in fibroblast growth factor signaling and its role in paraxial mesoderm patterning and morphogenesis in the mouse embryo. He has expertise in using advanced tissue labeling and imaging techniques to investigate gene and protein expression, as well as experience in using complex mouse genetics, to study FGF signaling in novel contexts.
Areas of Expertise
Michael Boylan, Ph.D.
Biography
Michael Boylan, Ph.D.
Dr. Boylan received his undergraduate degree from the University of Lancaster and then a Ph.D from the University of Manchester, working in laboratory of Dr. Kathryn Hentges in what was then the Faculty of Life Sciences. His project was on investigating a novel mouse line derived from random mutagenesis, which displayed intriguing defects in establishing the embryonic left-right axis. Using varied techniques including scanning electron microscopy and high speed videomicroscopy, he was able to demonstrate that the motile cilia that establish the left-right axis were defective in this mouse mutant. He then started his postdoctoral work as a Visiting Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Mark Lewandoski at the Cancer and Developmental Laboratory at the National Cancer Institute. This project investigated a mouse model of the human congenital birth defect, omphalocele, caused by conditional inactivation of multiple fibroblast growth factor ligands. This project involved complex mouse genetics and meticulous morphometry, and was published in Development. He is currently a Research Fellow in the Lewandoski laboratory, studying the role of fibroblast growth factor receptors in axial skeleton formation, using cutting edge tissue staining and imaging technologies.