The Morrison lab is investigating the mechanisms that regulate stem cell function in the nervous and hematopoietic systems. Hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to all blood and immune system cells, and neural crest stem cells, which give rise to the peripheral nervous system, are among the best-characterized stem cells. We are just beginning, however, to understand how their functions are regulated. It has long been hypothesized that stem cells from different tissues may be regulated by conserved mechanisms. But testing this requires interdisciplinary approaches. The goal of the Morrison lab is to integrate what we know about stem cells in different tissues to understand the extent to which they employ similar or different mechanisms to regulate critical functions. They have focused on the mechanisms that regulate stem cell self-renewal, stem cell aging, and the role of stem cells in organogenesis.