Welcome to the Ferrer Torres Laboratory! Our laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms driving human esophageal development, injury, and repair, with a particular focus on epithelial-mesenchymal interactions and human population differences in esophageal disease. One of our key research areas explores human population differences in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) by examining molecular responses to bile-acid injury in patient-derived 2D/3D esophageal organoids.

Additionally, our lab studies human esophageal development using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to identify distinct epithelial and mesenchymal populations, including basal progenitors and proliferative intermediates. These populations drive the transition from a simple to a fully stratified epithelium. To complement these findings, we employ advanced in vitro models, including 2D co-culture systems and 3D organoids, to investigate the molecular and cellular processes underlying esophageal development and injury responses.

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