Alek Erickson

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About me

Biologist researching how cell interactions promote tissue formation during human, mouse, and zebrafish embryonic development. My long-term research goal is to understand the principles that integrate cell signaling and tissue mechanics to organize cell fate decisions and ensure robust morphogenesis. To approach this, I currently use lineage tracing, genetic perturbations, single-cell transcriptomics, and various types of microscopy to study how cell signaling and mechanical networks control the dynamic clonal behaviors in the neural crest.

2008-2012 BSc, University Nebraska Lincoln, Department of Biological Systems Engineering
2012-2018 PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Anatomy
2018-2024 Postdoctoral fellow, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology

Research

- Robustness
- Craniofacial anomalies
- Embryonic development
- Regenerative medicine
- Tissue engineering
- Epigenetics
- Cellular memory
- Evolution
- Cell polarity
- Extracellular matrix
- Tissue mechanics

Articles

Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2024;15(1):7065
Motor innervation directs the correct development of the mouse sympathetic nervous system
Erickson AG; Motta A; Kastriti ME; Edwards S; Coulpier F; Theoulle E; Murtazina A; Poverennaya I; Wies D; Ganofsky J; Canu G; Lallemend F; Topilko P; Hadjab S; Fried K; Ruhrberg C; Schwarz Q; Castellani V; Bonanomi D; Adameyko I
Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2023;14(1):5904
A branching model of lineage differentiation underpinning the neurogenic potential of enteric glia
Laddach A; Chng SH; Lasrado R; Progatzky F; Shapiro M; Erickson A; Castaneda MS; Artemov AV; Bon-Frauches AC; Amaniti E-M; Kleinjung J; Boeing S; Ultanir S; Adameyko I; Pachnis V
Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2023;14(1):3060
Directionality of developing skeletal muscles is set by mechanical forces
Sunadome K; Erickson AGG; Kah D; Fabry B; Adori C; Kameneva P; Faure L; Kanatani S; Kaucka M; Ellstroem ID; Tesarova M; Zikmund T; Kaiser J; Edwards S; Maki K; Adachi T; Yamamoto T; Fried K; Adameyko I
Article: EMBO JOURNAL. 2022;41(17):e108780
Schwann cell precursors represent a neural crest-like state with biased multipotency
Kastriti ME; Faure L; Von Ahsen D; Bouderlique TG; Bostroem J; Solovieva T; Jackson C; Bronner M; Meijer D; Hadjab S; Lallemend F; Erickson A; Kaucka M; Dyachuk V; Perlmann T; Lahti L; Krivanek J; Brunet J-F; Fried K; Adameyko I
Journal article: FASEB JOURNAL. 2022;36(S1)
NCAD and ITGB1 Coordinately Regulate Growth Plate Cartilage Architecture
Greer SE; Erickson A; Dudley A
Article: NATURE GENETICS. 2021;53(5):694-706
Single-cell transcriptomics of human embryos identifies multiple sympathoblast lineages with potential implications for neuroblastoma origin
Kameneva P; Artemov AV; Kastriti ME; Faure L; Olsen TK; Otte J; Erickson A; Semsch B; Andersson ER; Ratz M; Frisen J; Tischler AS; de Krijger RR; Bouderlique T; Akkuratova N; Vorontsova M; Gusev O; Fried K; Sundstrom E; Mei S; Kogner P; Baryawno N; Kharchenko PV; Adameyko I
Journal article: EXPERIMENTAL MECHANICS. 2019;59(9):1261-1274
Mechanical Stimulation of Growth Plate Chondrocytes: Previous Approaches and Future Directions
Lee D; Erickson A; Dudley AT; Ryu S
Journal article: JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS. 2019;(151)
A Microfluidic Platform for Stimulating Chondrocytes with Dynamic Compression
Lee D; Erickson A; Dudley AT; Ryu S
Journal article: LAB ON A CHIP. 2018;18(14):2077-2086
Pneumatic microfluidic cell compression device for high-throughput study of chondrocyte mechanobiology.
Lee D; Erickson A; You T; Dudley AT; Ryu S
Journal article: TISSUE ENGINEERING PART A. 2018;24(1-2):94-105
A Tunable, Three-Dimensional In Vitro Culture Model of Growth Plate Cartilage Using Alginate Hydrogel Scaffolds.
Erickson AG; Laughlin TD; Romereim SM; Sargus-Patino CN; Pannier AK; Dudley AT
Article: ELIFE. 2017;6:e25902
Oriented clonal cell dynamics enables accurate growth and shaping of vertebrate cartilage
Kaucka M; Zikmund T; Tesarova M; Gyllborg D; Hellander A; Jaros J; Kaiser J; Petersen J; Szarowska B; Newton PT; Dyachuk V; li L; Qian H; Johansson A-S; Mishina Y; Currie JD; Tanaka EM; Erickson A; Dudley A; Brismar H; Southam P; Coen E; Chen M; Weinstein LS; Hampl A; Arenas E; Chagin AS; Fried K; Adameyko I

All other publications

Editorial comment: CELL STEM CELL. 2023;30(5):501-502
hPSCs-derived Schwann cells serve for disease modeling and drug discovery
Erickson A; Adameyko I
Review: SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY. 2023;138:68-80
The transcriptional portraits of the neural crest at the individual cell level
Erickson AG; Kameneva P; Adameyko I
Preprint: BIORXIV. 2023
Motor nerves direct the development of the sympathetic nervous system
Erickson A; Motta A; Kastriti ME; Edwards S; Lallemend F; Hadjab S; Ruhrberg C; Schwarz Q; Fried K; Bonanomi D; Adameyko I
Preprint: RESEARCH SQUARE. 2023
A branching model of lineage differentiation underpinning the neurogenic potential of enteric glia
Pachnis V; Laddach A; Chng SH; Lasrado R; Progatzky F; Shapiro M; Erickson A; Sampedro-Castaneda M; Artemov A; Bon-Frauches AC; Kleinjung J; Boeing S; Ultanir S; Adameyko I; Amaniti E-M
Conference publication: JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH. 2023;38:336
The orientation of developing skeletal muscles is set by mechanical forces
Erickson A; Adameyko I; Sunadome K; Kah D; Fabry B; Adori C; Kanatani S; Kameneva P; Faure L; Kaucka M; Ellstrom ID; Tesarova M; Zikmund T; Kaiser J; Edwards S; Maki K; Adachi T; Fried K
Preprint: BIORXIV. 2022
A branching model of cell fate decisions in the enteric nervous system
Laddach A; Chng SH; Lasrado R; Progatzky F; Shapiro M; Artemov A; Castaneda MS; Erickson A; Bon-Frauches AC; Kleinjung J; Boeing S; Ultanir S; Adameyko I; Pachnis V

Grants

Signaling mechanisms underlying neural crest cell fate decisions
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
1 July 2021 - 30 June 2024
Signaling mechanisms underlying neural crest cell fate decisions
StratNeuro
1 July 2020 - 1 July 2021

Employments

Research Specialist, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2025
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 2020-2021

Visiting research fellowships

Postdoctoral researcher, Karolinska Institutet, Postdoctoral research in embryonic development, 2018-2020

About me

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