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Peggy Myung, MD/PhD

Vice Chair of Research. Associate Professor of Dermatology and of Pathology.
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About

Titles

Vice Chair of Research. Associate Professor of Dermatology and of Pathology.

Biography

Peggy Myung is interested in hair follicle development and regeneration. Currently, she studies hair follicle development in mice and has a focus on how the dermal niche regulates hair follicle cell fate decisions. In particular, her work is centered on understanding the epithelial-mesenchymal interactions that regulate epithelial growth and differentiation in an effort to re-purpose these same molecular mechanisms to suppress aberrant growth in carcinogenesis.

Appointments

Education & Training

Fellowship
Yale University School of Medicine (2014)
Residency
University Hospitals Case Medical Center (2012)
Residency
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (2006)
Internship
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (2004)
MD/PhD
University of Pennsylvania (2003)

Research

Overview

Tissue homeostasis and regeneration are mediated by the coordinated growth of multiple cell types to generate tissue that sustains integrity and function of the organism. This ability to durably regenerate tissue relies on adult stem cells that reside in a specialized environment called the niche, which influences their self-renewal, growth and differentiation. Failure to maintain or mobilize stem cells results in tissue loss and dysfunction, while uncontrolled activation of these cells can fuel disorganized growth and cancer. Elucidating how key molecular signals govern stem cell behavior holds tremendous implications for designing targeted therapies to treat human diseases. A major challenge to examining how mammalian stem cells are regulated is the inability of conventional static analysis to follow the fate and behavior of cell populations in vivo over time.

My research aims to uncover how heterotypic signals between the skin epidermis and dermis regulate robust and organized growth hair follicle growth during embryonic development and adult regeneration, as well as how dysregulation of these signals can result in skin cancer. In particular, my lab studies (1) how cellular behaviors such as cell divisions and movement are regulated by key morphogenetic signals during regeneration, (2) how these signals are spatially disseminated to a field of cells in to ensure robust but patterned and compartmentalized growth, and (3) how these mechanisms can contribute to disorganized and uncontrolled growth during tumorigenesis. The hair follicle is an ideal model to address these questions as it is exceptionally accessible and undergoes well-characterized growth and cyclical regeneration in a manner dependent on resident stem cells. By coupling this model to live imaging and single-cell genomic techniques we are uniquely poised to address these outstanding questions.

Specifically, I have examined how Wnt/β-catenin signaling, a key molecular pathway required for hair follicle regeneration, is propagated throughout a population of undifferentiated cells to promote synchronous and coordinated growth. By live imaging, we have found that only a subset of cells is required to fuel the non-cell autonomous activation of this signal and growth behaviors throughout surrounding epithelial cells and is associated with upregulation of diffusible Wnt ligands. One of my goals is to understand how cooperative epithelial growth coordinates normal hair follicle regeneration. The second is to examine how this mechanism of collective behavior regulates basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), the most common human skin cancer, which utilizes hair morphogenetic signals for growth. Third, I am interested in understanding how the mesenchyme regulates both organized regeneration and development and how we can apply this knowledge to modify tumor growth. Accomplishing these aims will provide novel insight into the principle mechanisms that ensure proper tissue regeneration and how they can also be exploited deleteriously to promote collective growth in cancer.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Carcinogenesis; Dermatology; Epidermis; Homeostasis; Pathology; Regeneration; Stem Cells; Wound Healing

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Peggy Myung's published research.

Publications

Featured Publications

2024

2023

2022

Clinical Care

Overview

Peggy Myung, MD, PhD, is a Yale Medicine dermatopathologist, or skin pathologist, whose work focuses on identifying skin cancers, infections and other skin, hair and nail diseases.

“The possibility of making new discoveries and influencing the lives of people around me is what I love about my work,” says Dr. Myung. “I don't think we ever stop wanting to learn.” Dr. Myung is part of a research program that studies the skin’s built-in methods to regenerate tissue and suppress skin cancer growth. She also studies hair follicle development and regeneration in the laboratory.

“Our long-term goal is to develop novel treatments for hair loss and to prevent and treat non-melanoma skin cancer,” she says.

Clinical Specialties

Dermatology; Dermatopathology

Board Certifications

  • Dermatopathology

    Certification Organization
    AB of Dermatology
    Original Certification Date
    2014
  • Dermatology

    Certification Organization
    AB of Dermatology
    Original Certification Date
    2012

Yale Medicine News

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number
Clinic Fax Number
Mailing Address

Dermatology

15 York Street, PO Box 208059

New Haven, CT 06520-8059

United States

Locations

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