Mungo Marsden

Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Graduate Studies

Mungo Marsden investigates the molecular mechanisms that mediate changes in biological form, in particular the modulation of cell adhesion states. Regulation of cell adhesion is not only important during early cell development, but is also fundamental to a wide variety of health related issues, such as cancer and wound healing.

Contact information
Office: B2 253A
Phone: 519-888-4567, ext. 36530
Email: mmarsden@uwaterloo.ca

Expertise

Physiology, Cell and Developmental Biology
Molecular Genetics

Research

Professor Marsden's research interests are centered around the molecular mechanisms that mediate changes in biological form. In particular he is interested in the modulation of cell adhesion states that allow for the complex three dimensional rearrangements that characterize early embryogenesis. These changes in adhesive state are under strict spatial and temporal control, and in many cases stem from extra-cellular signals that cells perceive in their immediate environment.

Professor Marsden's major line of research involve two families of cell adhesion molecules, the integrins, and the cadherins. Recent evidence indicates the regulation of adhesive states is through a direct cross-talk between these molecules, indicating a coordination between cell–matrix and cell–cell adhesion. This regulation of cell adhesion is not only found during early development but is also of fundamental significance to a wide variety of health related issues such as cancer and wound healing.

Teaching

Professor Marsden teaches undergraduate courses. Course offerings have included

BIOL 302 Functional Histology
BIOL 403 Advanced Developmental Biology

Highlighted Publications

Recent publications include

2015 Kostadinka Bizheva, Bingyao Tan, Tyler Monahan, Julia Zangalous, Mungo Marsden, Mojtaba Hajialamdari 2 µm axial resolution, fiber-optic SD-OCT operating at 1300 nm for cellular resolution imaging of biological tissue. Optical Coherence Tomography and Coherence Domain Optical Methods in Biomedicine
2015 M. Sheikholeslam, S. Wheeler, K. Duke, M. Marsden, M. Pritzker and P. Chen. Peptide and Peptide-Carbon Nanotube Hydrogels as Scaffolds for Tissue & 3D Tumor Engineering. Nanoscale (accepted)
2012 A.Taeb, , M. A. Basha, S. Gigoyan, M. Marsden, S. Safavi-Naeini Label-Free DNA Sensing Using Millimeter-Wave Silicon WGM Resonator Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques
2012 Dinushan Nesan, Maryam Kamkar, Jeffery Burrows, Ian C. Scott, Mungo Marsden and Mathilakath M. Vijayan Glucocorticoid recepter signalling is critical for early development in zebrafish . Endocrinology 153(3): 1288-1300.
2010 GW Brodland, X Chen, P Lee, M Marsden From Genes to Neural Tube Defects (NTDs): Insights from Multi-scale Computational Modeling HFSP JOURNAL 4 (3) Pages: 142-152

Awards and Distinctions

1995-1997 ETH Postdoctoral Fellowship, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland

1994-1995 University of Victoria Graduate Teaching Fellowship

1990-1994 King Platt Fellowship, University of Victoria

1988-1989 University of Calgary Graduate Fees Scholarship

1987-1989 NSERC Summer Studentship

1987 AHFMR Summer Studentship

1985 NSERC Summer Studentship

University of Waterloo Affiliations

University of Waterloo Senate, Faculty-at-Large representative for the Faculty of Science
University of Waterloo Long Range Planning Committee
Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology