Research summary
Billions of cells in our bodies die every day, and adult stem cells replace them to keep our tissues healthy. But what happens to these stem cells when their neighbours die? Dr. Katherine Stewart has discovered that some actually “clean up” by engulfing dying cells—a process that helps prevent inflammation and keeps tissues working properly.
As Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Biology, she is exploring why stem cells do this, how it affects their function, and what happens when the process goes wrong. Working with both mouse and human tissues, she and her research team are uncovering how failures in this clean-up system may contribute to diseases like skin cancer or hair loss caused by autoimmune disease. By revealing the fundamental mechanisms of these cells, Stewart’s work could open new pathways to diagnosing, preventing and treating skin diseases while deepening our understanding of how tissues stay healthy.