Daniel Núñez-León, Ph.D.
![](/-/media/post-launch-images/2023/06/biomed/laf/daniel-nunez-leon-retouched.jpg?la=ja&h=1000&w=1000&hash=064CF40828B8EA00E31FDEAFB7F46D05)
- Title
- Postdoctoral fellow
- Department
- Pathology
- Institution
- University of Southern California
- Address
-
2011 Zonal Ave.
HMR 313 - City, State, ZIP
- Los Angeles, CA 90033
- Phone
- 323-442-1258
- [email protected]
- Website
- https://sites.usc.edu/cmchuong/
- Research field
- Developmental Biology
- Award year
- 2023
- Country of origin
- Chile
- Mentor name
- Cheng-Ming Chuong, M.D., Ph.D.
Research
In the Chuong lab, I will investigate how different birds produce distinctive and varied facial decorations. Each of these accessories has a unique function—whether it’s involved in courtship, physical protection, or thermal regulation. We tend to think of all chickens as having a red comb and wattle. But different chicken breeds also sport a diverse array of extravagant craniofacial adornments, from crests and beards to ear tufts. Using a suite of sophisticated techniques in cell and molecular genetics, developmental biology, and gene editing, I will identify the cells and genes that give rise to the characteristic facial appendages of three different chicken breeds and determine whether transplanting these unique specifiers of developmental fate into a standard commercial chicken breed will modify these birds’ appearance. A deeper understanding of the complexities of facial development could lead to novel therapies for a variety of craniofacial conditions in people.