Faculty

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Immunology
Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis

Research summary
Mechanisms of host immunity and viral evasion

Key words
immunology, virology, structural biology, viral immune evasion, cytokine receptors, signaling, protein trafficking

Program affiliation
General

Research summary
Protein structure/function relationships

Key words
apoE lipoproteins,, intrinsically disordered proteins, amyloid-beta, Alzheimer’s Disease, bacterial infection, curli proteins

Program affiliation
Human and Statistical Genetics
Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis

Research summary
Asking and answering critical questions to guide clinical practice and ameliorate childhood suffering due to staphylococcal disease

Key words
Staphylococcus aureus; antibiotic resistance; epidemiology; infection treatment and prevention; genomic determinants of disease; host immune response

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Improve obstetric outcomes for women and their neonates by understanding and targeting mechanisms of dysfunctional uterine contractility

Key words

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Neurosciences
Immunology
Plant and Microbial Biosciences
Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis

Research summary
Dr. Fu’s research focuses on the structural and functional analysis of SPFH family proteins. Using cryo-electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography, the Fu Lab studies membrane proteins in their native environments to explore their role in cellular signaling and disease

Key words
cryoem structure Ion channel membrane protein cryoet

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Exploration of functions for neuron-specific regulators of gene expression, leveraging genes and mechanisms implicated in human neurologic disease to point us toward critical pathways in the brain.

Key words
Epigenetics, Neurodevelopment, Rett syndrome, non-CpG DNA methylation, Transcription, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Neurodevelopmental disease

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis

Research summary
Biophysical studies of transcription initiation in Eukaryotes and Mycobacterial tuberculosis

Key words
biophysics, kinetics, optical and magnetic trapping, transcription, fluorescence

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate reactive astrocytes and their neurotoxicity in
neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, by utilizing a combination of biochemistry, molecular biology, cellular models of inflammation and mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases.

Key words

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
Mechanistic studies of DNA motor proteins; single Molecule Biochemistry

Key words

Program affiliation
General

Research summary
My research investigates neonatal immune responses after surgery and their connection to congenital heart disease. Clinical trial to study immune responses in pediatric pulmonary valve transplant recipients, both living and cryopreserved.

Key words
congenital heart disease, viral infection, immune responses, transcriptomic, biomarkers, immunophenotyping