Archive
Erin Sparks
Research Interests Erin Sparks’ research uses interdisciplinary and multi-scale approaches to optimize plant resilience under abiotic and biotic stressors, for example, by applying a unique blend of principles of mechanical engineering and the genetics of root development.
Donald H. Burke-Agüero
Research Interests The Burke lab explores the many roles of ribonucleic acid, or RNA. This substance has long been known to function in cells to help copy genetic information from DNA, but scientists increasingly recognize many other tasks that RNA carries out. The lab pushes the boundaries of what is possible to achieve with RNA. From using aptamers to target cancer, using ribozymes to explore the RNA origins of life on Earth, and using protein engineering to understand RNA-protein interactions in viral replication, a theme that unifies the lab’s projects is the relationships among macromolecular sequence, function, selection pressures,…
Walter Gassmann
Research Interests The innate immune response triggered by plant immune receptors is very potent at preventing pathogen spread. Consequently, this response also has the potential to be detrimental to the host if not regulated properly. Apart from the regulation of immune receptor expression and accumulation it is still unclear how this fine-tuning of the immune system is achieved. Research in the Gassmann lab addresses this gap in knowledge using genetics, molecular and cell biology, and proteomics. The cultivation of genetically uniform plants over large areas frequently selects for pathogen strains that can overcome innate plant defenses, and large crop losses…
David Mendoza
Research Interests The Mendoza lab focuses on the identification of the molecular mechanisms mediating nutrient sensing and allocation in plants, particularly nutrient elements that are required for photosynthesis, such as iron, copper, and zinc.
Gary Stacey
Research Interests ATP is a ubiquitous compound in all living cells; it not only provides the energy to drive many biochemical reactions, but also functions in signal transduction as a substrate for kinases, adenylate cyclases, etc. However, ATP was also shown to be an essential signaling agent outside of cells, where it is referred to as extracellular ATP (eATP). An extensive literature exists in animals implicating eATP in numerous cellular processes, including neurotransmission, immune responses, cell growth, and cell death. Initial observations of effects of eATP in animals were met with considerable skepticism. However, much less is known about the…
Gary A. Weisman
Research Interests The Weisman laboratory studies the initiation of chronic inflammatory disorders such as autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and they have found that blocking cell receptors that recognize the release of the molecule ATP from damaged cells prevents chronic inflammation which preserves tissue function. In mouse models of autoimmune Sjogren’s disease, they have demonstrated that inhibiting these ATP receptors prevents chronic immune cell activation in salivary and lacrimal gland to enhance saliva and tear secretion, respectively. Recently, they demonstrated that blocking the ATP receptors also retards tumor growth in mice, and they are now testing whether these approaches…
Dong Xu
Research Interests Dr. Xu’s lab focuses on the interface between bioinformatics and deep learning. It works on development of novel computational methods, algorithms, software and information systems, as well as on broad applications of these tools and other informatics resources for various biological and medical problems. Several successful applications of deep learning by the lab in bioinformatics span areas such as single-cell data analysis, protein structure prediction, protein language models, protein localization prediction, predicting sites of protein post-translational modifications, elucidating genotype-phenotype associations, understanding biological pathways through image analysis in published literature, and analyzing tongue images for health evaluations.
Trupti Joshi
Research Interests The Joshi lab has expertise in the areas of bioinformatics and its application to biomedical sciences, plants sciences, animal sciences, and health informatics fields. The lab has three key research pillars: Multiomics Informatics Data Analytics and Framework Development Multiomics Informatics Method Development Multiomics Data Integration Tool Development…
Marc Libault
Research Interests Plant cells differentially use their genetic information to gain their specific function. Libault has a long-term interest in understanding the differential use of the genome between plant cells and its dynamic regulation during plant development and in response to environmental stresses. Gaining this information is essential to understand gene function and the regulation of their expression, and, therefore, to implement well-sounded synthetic biology strategies to enhance desirable crop traits. …