Understanding the cell biology of genomes and how nuclear architecture controls gene expression is necessary to truly understand biological processes such as development and disease. Although sequencing of the genome and comparative genome analysis have yielded insights into the...
The central theme of our research is chemotherapy of malaria and African sleeping sickness. On a molecular basis, we are interested in understanding the mechanism of action for existing agents, and in identifying vulnerable targets for much-needed new chemotherapy....
Eukaryotic cells package their genomes in the form of chromatin, which is comprised of histone proteins and DNA. Modification of chromatin by chemical marks such as methylation and acetylation affects how cellular machineries interpret the genome. The Taverna laboratory...
We study the structure and function of the cell nucleus, ‘mothership’ of the human genome. We seek to understand how nuclear envelope (NE) membrane proteins interact with nuclear intermediate filament (‘lamina’) networks and other partners to collectively establish, protect...
Protein function is dynamically regulated in the cell by reversible posttranslational modifications. We are interested in the mechanism by which chromatin modifications regulate transcription, nucleosome dynamics and the response to DNA damage. A particular focus is on the non-degradative...
We study fundamental cellular processes relevant to human disease. A major research focus in our laboratory is the premature aging disease Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), which results from a mutation in the gene encoding the nuclear scaffold protein lamin...
My laboratory is interested in the molecular mechanisms by which cells interpret signals from their environment that instruct them to proliferate, differentiate, or die by apoptosis. This process is of fundamental importance in the development and function of the...
Our research seeks to better understand dynamical biological processes, such as embryonic development and brain activity, by recording cells’ experiences in their genomes. To accomplish this objective, we develop: (A) molecular technologies that write cellular experiences into their nucleic...
My lab’s focus is on the development and application of sequencing technologies to gain a deeper understanding of biology and a more accurate set of clinical tools for human disease. Our research integrates the principles of biophysics, molecular biology,...