The Dalton laboratory is interested in how ‘molecular medicine’ can be used to understand human disease for the purpose of developing new therapies and cures. Discoveries made from studying pluripotent stem cells will help us understand more about the early stages of embryonic development. This information can then be harnessed to decipher the molecular and cellular basis of human disease and mechanisms of tissue regeneration. Important outcomes from these translational studies include the development of new cell-based and small molecule therapeutics in a range of clinical areas for which there are no current therapies or treatments. Focus areas for the Dalton laboratory include cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases including diabetes and neurological disorders.