Faculty

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Computational and Systems Biology

Research summary
Disease mechanisms and treatments for inherited childhood neurodegeneration

Key words
Batten Disease, Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis, NCL, Lysosomal Storage Disease, pathogenesis, pre-clinical therapies, enzyme replacement, gene therapy

Program affiliation
Immunology
Human and Statistical Genetics

Research summary
The Cooper laboratory is focused on investigating the molecular and immunologic basis of inborn errors of immunity. We are particularly interested in understanding novel genetic causes of these diseases in children with immune dysregulation syndromes.

Key words
inborn errors of immunity, genetics, primary immunodeficiency STAT3, TLR8, Pediatrics

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
We study how different types of neurons encoding somatosensory modalities are assembled into functional circuits in both humans and model organisms.

Key words
pain, optogenetics, imaging, electrophysiology

Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Neurosciences
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Computational and Systems Biology

Research summary
(1) transcriptional networks in the retina; (2) the mechanistic basis of color vision; (3) the cis-regulatory basis of human uniqueness and neuropsychiatric disease

Key words
neurobiology, genomics, transcriptional networks, systems biology, photoreceptors, brain, neuropsychiatric disease, disease, cis-regulation

Program affiliation
Immunology
Cancer Biology

Research summary
Pathways of tumor progression and response to therapy, particularly in bladder and prostate cancer, cancer metastasis research through analysis of lymph node and bone marrow occult metastases

Key words

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Neurosciences

Research summary
Medicinal chemistry of steroids

Key words
cholesterol, ion channel, medicinal chemistry, neurobiology, pharmacology, steroids

Program affiliation
Plant and Microbial Biosciences

Research summary
Our research centers around studying spatial biology, or the spatial organization of genes, in plant systems. We investigate this through two research areas; plant-microbe interactions and duckweed biology.

Key words
plant biology; transcriptomics; spatial biology; imaging; molecular biology

Program affiliation
Neurosciences

Research summary
Leveraging synaptic physiology to treat addiction and affective symptoms of pain

Key words
electrophysiology, deep brain stimulation, dopamine, basal ganglia, reward and aversion, addiction, genetics, pharmacology, optogenetics, pain

Program affiliation
Human and Statistical Genetics
Computational and Systems Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
Genetic variation in the variable response to pharmacologic treatment (i.e. Pharmacogenomics) of cardiovascular disease; specifically individuals with both diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease.

Key words
cardiovascular disease, diabetes melitus, genotype, genetic variation

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
Understanding extracellular vesicle (EV)-mediated signaling during homeostatic and pathologic metabolic regulation

Key words