Photo of Maya Opendak

Maya Opendak

Disrupted social behavior is a core feature of compromised mental health, including anxiety and depression, and is a long-standing early diagnostic marker of disorders that emerge in later-life. Yet, we have little understanding of the ontogeny of social behavior...

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Photo of Jiou Wang

Jiou Wang

We are interested in the biological basis for protein and RNA homeostasis in neurodegeneration. We hope to solve problems that not only have biological significance but also have important implications for understanding and treating disease. Discovering key regulators of...

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Image of Shuying Sun

Shuying Sun

RNA metabolism dysfunction and RNA-targeting therapy in neurodegeneration The nervous system has extremely complex RNA processing regulation. Dysfunction of RNA metabolism has emerged to play crucial roles in multiple neurological diseases. Mutations and pathologies of several RNA-binding proteins are...

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Xinzhong Dong

My laboratory has taken a multidisciplinary approach to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of different types of somatosensations including pain and itch, which are initiated and mediated by primary sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG). We identified...

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Peter Espenshade

Our laboratory’s research focuses on understanding (1) how cells measure levels of available nutrients and (2) how cells adapt to changes in nutrient supply to control metabolic homeostasis. Our studies have primarily centered on changes in cholesterol and oxygen...

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Ryuya Fukunaga

The Fukunaga lab is broadly interested in RNA biology. More specifically, the Fukunaga lab investigates the mechanism and biology of post-transcriptional gene regulation controlled by small silencing RNAs and RNA-binding proteins. Our research projects will answer fundamental biological questions...

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Rachel Green

The ribosome is a complex molecular machine that translates the genetic code into functional polypeptides. Our work focuses on understanding how the ribosome functions at a molecular level and how changes in its activity lead to mRNA quality control...

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Geraldine Seydoux

Our lab studies gene regulation in germ cells, with a focus on “RNA granules” which are phase-separated compartments rich in RNA and proteins. We have identified a family of intrinsically-disordered proteins that form gel-like assemblies that sequester RNA (RNA...

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Deborah Andrew

We study how epithelial tubular organs – which are essential to life in all multicellular organisms – form and specialize. Using the simple unbranched tubes of the Drosophila salivary gland and the beautifully branched tubular network of the Drosophila...

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Mollie K. Meffert

The goal of the Meffert lab is to gain a mechanistic understanding of how selective gene programs are recruited and maintained to modify the nervous system during development, experience-dependent plasticity, and in injury or disease.  Rather than focusing on...

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