Dr. Kletzien’s research focuses on uncovering fundamental processes driving age-related disorders and diseases in head and neck muscles that affect swallowing function. Her research program aims to reveal the central role of these tissues’ somatic stem cells in tissue homeostasis, degeneration and regeneration and how their dysfunction contributes to swallowing difficulty with increasing age and the development of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as their capacity to serve as potential oncogenic reservoirs across lifespan and in states of premalignancy and active disease. Her research program takes integrative, translative, and multi-omics approaches using novel preclinical models, genetic engineering tools, and primary head and neck tissues to reveal the biological mechanisms underlying age-related disorders and diseases.