The goal of the Cheeseman Laboratory is to define the molecular mechanisms by which accurate cell division occurs. To grow from a single cell to the 30 trillion cells present in the human body, cells duplicate through cell division. During each cell division, the entire complement of genetic material must be accurately partitioned to the daughter cells. Even a single chromosome mis-segregation event can be catastrophic, resulting in the loss or gain of hundreds of genes, with severe consequences for development and disease.