Dr. Arshad Ayyaz

Assistant Professor,

Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada

arshad.ayyaz@ucalgary.ca

Dr. Ayyaz is a geneticist and a stem cell biologist, whose research is focused on somatic tissue repair, inflammation, fibrosis and cancer.

Work of Dr. Ayyaz has markedly enhanced our understanding of somatic stem cell regulation in normalcy and alterations that associate with disease. In 2015, Dr. Ayyaz discovered that the innate immune cells control the activity of stem cells by evoking conserved developmental cues, which on one hand, regenerate the intestinal epithelium, while on the other, promote tumor-like growth of stem cell clusters (Ayyaz et al., 2015, Nature Cell Biology). More recently, Dr. Ayyaz spearheaded a study that led to the discovery of new type of stem cell, which he named the revival stem cell (Ayyaz et al., 2019, Nature). Dr. Ayyaz found that the revival stem cells play a vital role in the recovery of intestinal epithelium following injuries and ablation of the homeostatic stem cells of the intestine. In addition, Dr. Ayyaz has collaborated with several groups in and out of Canada to uncover molecular signals that enable stem cells to communicate with their surroundings, such as the mesenchyme, the immune system, gut microbes and enteric pathogens (Baghdadi et al., 2021, Cell Stem Cell; Goldsmith et al., 2020, Nature Communications; Sousa-Victor et al., 2017, Cell Reports).