Congratulations to the CMCF center faculty, Dr. Timothy Downing who has received the National Institutes of Health 2019 Director’s New Innovator Award. Dr. Downing, an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (courtesy), will receive $2.3 million over five years for his research. The award supports exceptionally creative New and Early Stage Investigators who propose bold new approaches with the potential to produce a major impact on a broad area of biomedical or behavioral research.

Dr. Downing’s research focuses on understanding gene regulation during tissue development, regeneration, and disease progression. His laboratory at UC Irvine develops molecular tools and biomaterials to synthetically regulate the epigenome for better control over cell fate and behavior.