Cao Group research
Collaborations | Student research projects | Publications
About Dr Wei Cao
Dr Wei Cao is a Group Leader at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. She is a cell and developmental biologist whose work focuses on mechanisms regulating germ cell development. Wei completed her PhD at Monash University, where she established Caenorhabditis elegans as her primary model system. Her research spans from identifying key regulators of germ cell development to developing cutting-edge tools that advance the field, including approaches for conditional single-neuron molecular depletion. With a background spanning biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and in vivo model systems, she brings an integrative approach to studying cross-tissue regulation of cell fate. Her vision is to understand how somatic tissues, including neurons and the intestine, mediate physiological and environmental signals to regulate germ cells and fertility, establishing stress–soma–germline–fertility circuits with molecular resolution and single-cell precision.
Our research
Current projects
Our group studies germline stem cells and germ cell development, focusing on both intrinsic and somatic regulatory mechanisms. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model, we dissect underlying pathways and define their roles under environmental and physiological stress. We apply advanced approaches—including conditional single-cell protein depletion, single-cell expression analysis, confocal microscopy, and proteomics—to achieve precise spatial and temporal resolution of germline regulation.
Visit Dr Cao's Monash research profile to see a full listing of current projects.
Techniques/expertise
- Genetic approaches
- (Forward/reverse genetics, CRISPR-Cas9)
- Biochemical / molecular assays
- (Immunoprecipitation, Western blot, etc.)
- Imaging techniques
- (Immunostaining, Confocal microscopy)
Collaborations
We collaborate with many scientists and research organisations around the world. Click on the map to see the details for each of these collaborators (and you'll be able to dive into specific publications and outputs).
Student research projects
The Cao Group offers a variety of Honours, Masters and PhD projects for students interested in joining our group. There are also a number of short term research opportunities available.
Please visit Supervisor Connect to explore the projects currently available in our Lab.