Emily Kolenbrander Ho, Ph.D.
Department
Areas of Expertise
Research Interests
I am a developmental biologist which means that I study embryos and how they develop from single cells into complex bodies. I am particularly fascinated with how cells communicate within embryos to make decisions about cell fate, a process known as cell signaling. For example, cell signaling allows one cell in your body to become a heart cell while another cell becomes a neuron in your brain. My lab uses Drosophila fruit fly embryos as a model system for visualizing, measuring, and perturbing these cell signaling events. We use a toolbox of light-activated proteins (optogenetics), novel fluorescent biosensors, and genome editing to explore how cells make quantitative measurements about the signals they receive and then use those measurements to make decisions about their fate. Learn more on our lab website: https://www.kolenbranderho.com/
Education
B.A. Biology, Carleton College
Ph.D. Developmental Biology, Stanford University
Research and Publications
Ho, E.K., Kim-Yip, R.P., Simpkins, A. G., Farahani, P.E., Oatman, H.R., Posfai E, Shvartsman, S.Y., and Toettcher, J.E. (2025). In vivo measurements of receptor tyrosine kinase activity reveal feedback regulation of a developmental gradient. Cell Reports. 44(7), 115930.
Ho, E.K., Oatman, H.R., McFann, S.E., Yang, L., Johnson, H.E., Shvartsman, S.Y., and Toettcher, J.E. (2023). Dynamics of an incoherent feedforward loop drive ERK-dependent pattern formation in the early Drosophila embryo. Development. 150, dev.201818.
Ho, E.K. and Stearns, T. (2021). Hedgehog signaling and the primary cilium: implications for spatial and temporal constraints on signaling. Development. 148, dev195552.
Ho, E.K., Tsai, A.E.*, and Stearns, T. (2020). Transient primary cilia mediate robust Hedgehog pathway-dependent cell cycle control. Current Biology. 30, 2829–2835.e5.