We are taking innovative approaches to study morphogenesis within a developing organism and to leverage that understanding to develop tools and blueprints for building tissues of defined shape and structure in the lab. We propose to develop approaches to control cell-generated mechanical forces within tissues to dissect how patterns of forces control the fundamental cell … Continued
My laboratory studies the evolution of antibiotic resistance, with the ultimate aim of enabling therapies to forestall or prevent resistance evolution. We aim to ‘play a move ahead’ of antibiotic resistance and discover therapies and control strategies informed by the predictability of microbial evolution. Our research is divided into three cross-informative efforts: 1) Understanding the … Continued
Much of the diversity within and between animal species arises due to sequence differences in the vast noncoding regions of the genome. These regions are not transcribed to produce proteins, but rather interact with one another to regulate just which proteins a cell expresses and how much of each it uses. The biophysical mechanisms underlying … Continued
T cell-based immunotherapies have begun to transform how we treat cancer, but are only sometimes effective and can cause serious adverse events. My research group combines mechanistic immunology and protein engineering with the goal of engineering the immune system. We develop approaches to create safer, more effective cancer immunotherapies.
The flexible portion of a bacterium’s genome—DNA that is exchanged with other bacteria through the process of horizontal gene transfer—allows it to rapidly adapt to changing environmental conditions by incorporating novel functions. These auxiliary genes can include those that confer resistance to antibiotics, enzymes involved carbohydrate degradation, mercury-resistance or virulence genes, and catabolic genes useful … Continued
I lead a laboratory studying fundamental interactions between the microbiome, brain and behavior, and their applications to neurological disorders. My previous work on neuroimmune contributions to neurodevelopment and behavior led to the finding that postnatal modification of the microbiota improves gastrointestinal and behavioral symptoms in mouse models of genetic and environmental risk factors for autism. … Continued
The transition to multicellularity was transformational for life on Earth, but this evolutionary leap remains poorly understood. By evolving novel multicellular organisms in the lab from single-celled ancestors, I explore the origin of key multicellular innovations, such as cellular division of labor and multicellular development.
Microbes rarely live alone. In the ocean, the soil, and the human body, microbes live within complex, multi-species communities. Yet, due to their complexity, it is often extremely difficult to understand how these communities work. To address this challenge, our lab uses simplified microbial communities as model systems. Our model system of choice is cheese. … Continued
Low temperature (hypothermia) and reduced oxygen (hypoxia) pervasively affect cellular metabolism and physiology, decelerate organismic biological time and trigger instinctive animal behaviors. Many species in nature have evolved unique traits to respond and adapt to severe hypothermia/hyperthermia/hypoxia. Our research uses 1) genetically tractable C. elegans and 2) Mangrove Killifish, the only known self-fertilizing vertebrate with … Continued
My lab studies microbial metabolisms and their influence on biogeochemical cycling using an interdisciplinary approach. We apply the knowledge we gain to generate new ways of addressing issues such as the energy crisis, pollution, biofouling and sustainability.