We are studying how the vascular system forms during embryonic development
The cardiovascular and lymphatic systems play a vital role in keeping our bodies functioning by delivering nutrients and removing waste from every cell. These processes enable our hearts to beat, our brains to process information, and our muscles to move. At the heart of these systems are endothelial cells—specialised cells that form the innermost layer of blood and lymphatic vessels. These cells are essential for tissue development, maintenance and repair.
Our research focuses on uncovering the molecular mechanisms that drive the formation and diversity of endothelial cells. During development, naïve progenitor cells arise from an embryonic tissue called the mesoderm and differentiate to form the endothelial layer of arterial, venous, lymphatic, and organ-specific vessels. These specialised cells acquire unique traits to meet the needs of the tissues they support.
We have discovered that endothelial cells originating from different parts of the mesoderm tend to form specific types of blood and lymphatic vessels (Stone and Stainier, Developmental Cell, 2019). We also identified a specialised progenitor for lymphatic endothelial cells (Lupu*, Grainger*, Kirschnick* et al., Nature Cardiovascular Research, 2025). Our ongoing work aims to uncover what makes endothelial cells from different lineages unique and to understand how these differences influence organ development and function.
Sponsors
Our team
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Oliver Stone
Group Leader and Wellcome Sir Henry Dale Fellow
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Jonathan Godwin
Senior Research Associate
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David Grainger
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
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Erica Zhao
Research Assistant
What's new
Winners of the DPAG Image Competition 2023 announced
7 July 2023
A department-wide image competition has yielded a wide variety of beautiful images showcasing the diversity and breadth of DPAG's science. Two prize winners and a further three commended pictures are announced.
DPAG researchers host week-long teacher residential in collaboration with Oxford Colleges
5 July 2023
Five school teachers joined researchers from the Carlyle, Lakhal-Littleton, Mommersteeg, Srinivas, and Stone groups, based in the Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, and Sherrington Building, in a project run in collaboration with Jesus College and Trinity College between 19 and 22 June 2023.
Dr Oliver Stone starts research group as Sir Henry Dale Fellow
1 June 2020
Dr Stone has been awarded a Wellcome Trust Henry Dale Fellowship to lead research investigating how lineage history can impact vascular cell fate and function.
Related research themes
We dissect the molecular and cellular mechanisms ...