Faculty

The Ashrafi lab uses genetic, biochemical, and quantitative optical imaging techniques to study metabolic regulation of neurotransmission.

Major Lab

The Blumer lab currently studies signal transduction mechanisms that cause uveal melanoma, a highly aggressive and deadly cancer, with the ultimate goal of discovering avenues leading to effective therapy for this currently untreatable cancer.

The Chen lab utilizes multi-omic and high-throughput screening approaches to systematically investigate the regulation and function of circRNA in cells and develop novel circRNA technologies for translational applications.

The Crewe lab uses transgenic mouse lines, cell culture and biochemistry to understand extracellular vesicle (EV)-mediated signaling during homeostatic and pathologic metabolic regulation.

Inter-organellar interactions between midbody, centrosome, and primary cilium in health and disease.

The Fu Lab specializes in understanding protein structures in their native environments using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). By leveraging advanced structural and biochemical tools, the lab aims to uncover the mechanisms underlying cellular membrane organization, with a focus on SPFH family proteins, including Stomatin, Prohibitin, and Flotillin. These proteins form membrane microdomains that influence key cellular processes. Current projects explore their roles in membrane organization, trafficking, and responses to mechanical forces, with a particular emphasis on their involvement in pediatric kidney diseases and neurological disorders.

The Goldfarb Lab is focused on computational mass spectrometry and proteomics with the goal of achieving comprehensive protein identification and quantification in complex biological samples.

Novel techniques for correcting type-1 diabetes without insulin, utilizing the beneficial effects of healthy adipose tissue: Subcutaneous transplantation of embryonic brown adipose tissue (BAT) has proven effective in reversing type 1 diabetes in mice, independent of insulin.