Our group uses synthetic biology to understand the design principles of genetic circuits in living cells and tissues. We developed the original Repressilator, an artificial genetic clock that generates gene expression oscillations in individual E. coli cells, as well as other synthetic circuits. Our lab also showed that gene expression is intrinsically stochastic, or ‘noisy’, … Continued
My laboratory is focused on tackling fundamental questions in how cells make decisions in complex environments and how they regulate their function through feedback control. Our research program seeks to study endogenous feedback regulation, focusing on stress response systems. In this quest, we develop technologies that allow us to measure feedback operation in real time … Continued
My laboratory studies how cells and antigens come together to generate immune responses. This involves deciphering the cues that guide immune cell movements within, and egress from, lymphoid organs. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a major class of chemoattractant receptor on immune cells and using gain- and loss-of function approaches they have identified roles for … Continued
The DeRisi Lab is focused on developing genomic technology to better understand the underlying fundamental mechanisms of infectious disease, with the ultimate goal of deploying solutions for better diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. To this end, our group has pursued a wide range of diseases, including human malaria, and viral diseases of mammals, birds, and reptiles, … Continued
I study the neural and biomechanical basis of behavior in the fruit fly, Drosophila. My group strives to build an integrated model of behavior that incorporates an understanding of morphology, neurobiology, muscle physiology, physics, and ecology. Although the research focuses primarily on flight control, we are interested in how animals transform sensory information into a … Continued
Our lab studies cell division, with a focus on the dynamic interaction between the chromosomes and the nuclear envelope. The chromosomes are attached to the nuclear envelope at multiple sites in most part of the cell division cycle. In higher organisms, the nuclear envelope breaks down during mitosis when the duplicated chromosomes partition into the … Continued
My research group uses a multifaceted approach including genetics, cell biology, biochemistry and biophysics to address major unanswered questions in cell-cell fusion using organisms ranging from insects to mammals.
Many types of stem cells undergo asymmetric cell divisions to give rise to daughter cells with distinct cell fates: one that retains stem cell identity and another that differentiates. Imbalances between these two fates or malfunctioning of stem cell derivatives are common causes of many human diseases, including infertility and cancer. During stem cell asymmetric … Continued
Epithelial cells form the boundaries between the interior and exterior of an organism. The transport properties of epithelial cells define the composition of an organism’s internal milieu. In order to carry out these transport functions, the cell surface membranes of epithelial cells must be polarized, which is to say that they must be subdivided into … Continued
Viruses have evolved to hijack cellular processes to facilitate their replication and spread, while evading host defense mechanisms. The overarching goal of our laboratory is to identify and characterize key regulators of viral pathogenesis and immunity, providing new therapeutic targets for enhancing host defense and limiting pathologic inflammation. We use advanced genetic approaches to identify … Continued