Chief Scientific Officer, Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM)
Cincinnati Research Foundation Endowed Professor, Division of Developmental Biology
Director for basic research, Division of Endocrinology
Allen Foundation Distinguished Investigator
Dr. Wells is an endowed professor at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation. He is in the Division of Developmental Biology, is the Director for Basic Research in the Division of Endocrinology, and is a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of the Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine.
Dr. Wells' research focuses on the processes by which gastrointestinal and endocrine organs form in the developing embryo and how they maintain systemic metabolic homeostasis. His work in developmental biology has provided the basis for the efforts to generate human cells and tissues from pluripotent stem cells. His lab has pioneered approaches to generate gastrointestinal (GI) tissue organoids of the esophagus, stomach, intestine, and colon from human pluripotent stem cells. His lab uses human organoids and mouse models to study endocrine control of digestion and metabolism, congenital defects of the digestive tract, and diabetes. In addition, Dr. Wells and his colleagues are using organoids as a basis for tissue engineering efforts to generate functional tissues for transplantation.