Cellular and Developmental Biology

1. The molecular base of aging, the role of deacetylases in life longevity.
2. The molecular pathways that regulate the response for caloric restriction.
3. The molecular and cellular biology of sirtuin deacetylases.
4. Isolating new proteins that regulate longevity in mammals.

The lab studies protein trafficking within the cell.

1. How millions of different proteins are accurately directed to their target locations.
2. How the cell identifies and disposes of damaged proteins
3. How these trafficking pathways go awry in various diseases.
4. How to correct these failures and ultimately helping cells clear toxic buildup and restore healthy function.

1. Developing genome editing as curative therapy for genetic diseases
2. Developing genome editing as a tool for cancer immunotherapy
3. Improving the specificity, toxicity and safety of gene therapy by CRISPR-Cas9 system
4. Manipulating the choice of DNA repair pathways during genome editing process
5. Study the relationship between epigenome structure and genome editing outcomes in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells

1. Deciphering the Genetic Code of Aging.
2. How to maintain protein folding with age.
3. The effect of longevity pathways on stress responses and age-related diseases, focusing on neurodegenerative diseases.

1. Molecular analysis of transcriptional regulation of key developmental genes
2. Understanding the importance of promoter composition in transcription
3. Studying the protein factors involved in recruitment of the transcription machinery
4. Transcriptional regulation of developmental gene networks in Drosophila
5. Rational design of synthetic promoters for enhanced gene expression
6. Bioinformatics analyses of the regulation of gene expression in diverse organisms

1. Uncovering how protein degradation systems specifically recognize their target substrates

2. Characterizing quality control mechanisms that maintain cellular protein homeostasis

3. Exploring the role of protein degradation in key cellular processes such as receptor recycling, inter-organelle communication, and antigen presentation

4. Investigating how disruptions in degradation pathways contribute to diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration

1. Following mRNAs in living cells using high-resolution fluorescence microscopy
2. Examining gene expression and transcription of single alleles in living cells in real-time
3. Studying RNA processing factors in time and nuclear space
4. Following long non-coding RNAs in the nucleus under normal and stress conditions
5. Tracking the exit of mRNAs from the nucleus and through the nuclear pore using super-resolution microscopy and live-cell imaging
6. Following signal transduction pathways that induce the activation of genes expressed in normal and cancer cells
7. Examining stress-induced cytoplasmic granules and understanding their function in cells

1. Cell division and cytokinesis in normal and malignant mammalian cells
2. E2F-APC/C interface in proliferating cells
3. Protein dynamics and post-translational modifications in cells and cell-free systems; basic and translational research
4. Optical flow cytometry for cell cycle, cell growth and cell size research

1. Disease modeling by human pluripotent stem cells
2. Embryonic kidney development
3. The effect of Lin28 on human and mouse embryonic development

1. Development of tools for the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic diseases.
2. Investigation of the importance of peroxisomes in human health and disease.
3. Study of the peroxisome proteome and its dynamics.
4. Exploration of the interplay between peroxisomes, mitochondria, and lipid droplets.

1. Biochemical mechanisms involved in sperm preparation for fertilization
2. Signal transduction processes that mediate sperm capacitation and the acrosome reaction
3. Biochemical mechanisms involved in preventing spontaneous acrosome reaction
4. Signal transduction processes involved in sperm motility regulation
5. Developing diagnostic methods for evaluation of infertility in man
6. Developing treatment for man infertility.

1.  The MEIG1 protein - fertility and involvement in genome integrity and tumor development
2. The PIM2 kinase as an Oncogene and a Tumor suppressor.
3. The transcription factor ATCE1 - Paternal donation to embryonic development.

1. Nek kinases involvement in the development of Polycystic kidney disease
2. The influence of inducible Nek7 ablation on the dynamics of the cell cycle.
3. The cellular roles of Codanin-1 gene implicated in congenital dyserythropoietic anemia