Dr Luise Cullen-McEwen is a Research Fellow with the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology. Luise obtained her Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Wollongong (1998), Honours degree at Melbourne University (1999) and her PhD at Monash University (2002). In 2002 she was appointed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology in the School of Biomedical Sciences at Monash University. Luise's research focuses on kidney development, particularly the regulation of branching morphogenesis and thereby nephron number during embryogenesis. Luise's PhD studied the role of Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) in regulating ureteric branching morphogenesis. GDNF is a key regulator of early branching in the developing kidney. Luise has extensive experience in animal handling, embryo dissection, embryonic kidney culture, whole mount immunofluorescence, histology and unbiased stereology.

Luise Cullen-McEwen obtained her Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Wollongong (1998), Honours degree at Melbourne University (1999) and her PhD at Monash University (2002). In 2002 she was appointed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology in the School of Biomedical Sciences at Monash University. Luise's research focuses on kidney development, particularly the regulation of branching morphogenesis and thereby nephron number during embryogenesis. Luise's PhD studied the role of Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) in regulating ureteric branching morphogenesis. GDNF is a key regulator of early branching in the developing kidney. Luise has extensive experience in animal handling, embryo dissection, embryonic kidney culture, whole mount immunofluorescence, histology and unbiased stereology. Luise has applied for NHMRC funding in 2010 for a research project to investigate the effect of maternal hyperglycemia (maternal diabetes) on kidney development.

Above Image: Histological section of embryonic day 15 rat kidney stained for ureteric tree (Dolichos Biflorus Agglutinin staining)

Above Image: Immunofluorescence photomicrographs of the ureteric tree in metanephroi cultured for 3 days in control media (i), or media supplemented with rhGDNF (ii), FCS (iii), or rhGDNF plus 10% FCS (iv).