The Yien lab is interested in the interplay between iron metabolism and development. Using an innovative multidisciplinary approach using multiple model systems (mouse, zebrafish, yeast and cell biology), the lab is identifying tissue specific roles of mitochondrial homeostasis proteins that couple iron metabolism with the specific needs of cells, with an eye towards identifying pathological and therapeutic mechanisms of iron dysregulation in specific tissues. Secondly, the lab is working to interrogate the mechanisms by which iron functions within developmental signalling pathways and cell fate. Lastly, the lab is actively attempting to identify hematopoietic and iron metabolism adaptations in the pregnant female's bone marrow (using mouse models) as they progress through pregnancy.