Contact Information
Office Hours
Education
BS in Biology - Rider University
PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology - Rutgers University
Postdoc in Regenerative Biology - Duke University Medical Center
Field
Developmental Biology and Regeneration
Courses
BIOL 106: Human Genetics and Health
BIOL 202: Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology
BIOL 298: SOAR into the Biological Sciences
BIOL 331: Developmental Biology
BIOL 405: Biology of the Cell – Critical Thinking
BIOL 410: Molecular Biology Topics
Interests
My laboratory is focused on studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern tissue repair and regeneration. Although humans and other mammals have little or no ability to regenerate large complex tissues, such as those of the nervous system, other organisms exhibit an amazing capacity to do so. By understanding how these model organisms mount successful regenerative responses to injury, we will better understand the reasons for why we lack these abilities. At the heart of this understanding is a potential for greater therapeutic approaches that aid repair of injured and aging human tissues.
Over the past few years, my students and I have taken advantage of the freshwater planarian, a simple flatworm. The planarian has an amazing capacity to completely regenerate lost or damaged tissue, even from tiny amputated fragments. We have discovered genes that play roles in stimulating stem cell (neoblast) proliferation and differentiation. Planarians that lack these stem cell genes are incapable of mounting a successful response to injury and fail to carry out normal physiological tissue maintenance. As these genes are conserved in human tissues, we expect that our studies will unveil key components to a tissue repair program in humans.
Publications
James, R., Tavalsky, J.M., Tyree, M.C., and Major, R.J. A Chloroquine Sensitivity Gradient Induces Tissue Regeneration and Maintenance Phenotypes in Planarians. The International Journal of Developmental Biology. 2025 69: 187-194
Ruby, C.L., Major, R.J., and Hinrichsen, R.D. “Regulation of Tissue Regeneration by the Circadian Clock.” European Journal of Neuroscience. April 23, 2021
Hinrichsen, R.D, Fabi, J.L., Craig, S.E., Rovins, P.S., Cerwensky, A.J., Major, R.J., and Ruby, C.L. Photoresponsivity and motility in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea vary diurnally. Chronobiology International. 2019 Oct. 36: 1789-1793
Ruby, C.L., Major, R.J., and Hinrichsen, R.D. “The Role of Circadian Timing in the Regulation of Cell Division and Regeneration” in Circadian Clock: Regulations, Genetic and External Factors. February 2018 ISBN: 1536133728
Alarcon, D.I. and Major, R.J. "Restoring Regeneration" 2015 McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science And Technology. December 29, 2014 ISBN: 0071835768
Major, R.J. "Heart Regeneration" 2014 McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science And Technology. December 23, 2013 ISBN: 0071831061
Major, R.J. and Poss, K.D. Zebrafish Heart Regeneration. Book chapter in Heart Regeneration: Stem Cells and Beyond. World Scientific March 22, 2012. ISBN: 9814299804
Kikuchi, K., Holdway, J.E., Major, R.J., Blum, N., Dahn, R.D., Begemann, G., and Poss, K.D. Retinoic Acid Production by Endocardium and Epicardium Is an Injury Response Essential for Zebrafish Heart Regeneration. Developmental Cell. 2011 20:397-404.
Wills, A.A., Holdway, J.E., Major, R.J., and Poss, K.D. 2008. Regulated addition of new myocardial and epicardial cells fosters homeostatic cardiac growth and maintenance in adult zebrafish. Development. 135:183-192.
Major, R.J., and Poss, K.D. 2007. Zebrafish heart regeneration as a model for cardiac tissue repair. Drug Discovery Today: Disease Models. 4:219-225.
Major, R.J., and Irvine, K.D. 2006. Localization and requirement for Myosin II at the dorsal-ventral compartment boundary of the Drosophila wing. Developmental Dynamics. 235:3051-3058.
Major, R.J., and Irvine, K.D. 2005. Influence of Notch on dorsal-ventral compartmentalization and actin organization in the Drosophila wing. Development. 132:3823-3833.