Charles Murtaugh

Charles Murtaugh is an Associate Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Utah, specializing in pancreatic development, cancer biology, and regeneration. His research focuses on intercellular signaling pathways, particularly Notch and Wnt/β-catenin, in regulating pancreatic cell fate and disease mechanisms.

Dr. Murtaugh received his B.A. from Northwestern University and Ph.D. from Harvard University. He leads a research laboratory that employs genetically-modified mouse models to investigate:

• Pancreatic cancer initiation through 'identity theft' mechanisms
• β-catenin's dual role in Wnt signaling and cell adhesion
• Modeling human congenital syndromes like focal dermal hypoplasia

His work has established critical connections between cellular differentiation, inflammation, and oncogenic pathways in pancreatic diseases. Recent publications address microbiome interactions with pancreatic development and mitochondrial regulation of tumor initiation.

Key research themes include:

• Cell fate plasticity in cancer formation
• Developmental signaling pathway interactions
• Translational applications for diabetes and cancer
• Genetic modeling of human diseases