6/17/2025
1. Detection of genomic variation: I have developed several methods to identify and map variants (SNPs, indels, and large-scale rearrangements) from large-scale sequencing datasets. This includes identification and genotyping of…
6/17/2025
All eukaryotic cells divide by assembling a microtubule-based spindle machinery that equally segregates chromosomes between daughter cells. The faithful segregation of chromosomes during cell division is essential as errors in…
6/17/2025
Our research on viruses provides insight not only into the diseases they cause, but it also leads to the discovery of novel basic mechanisms that operate in eukaryotic cells. Over…
6/17/2025
Understanding how gene expression is regulated in response to signals from both inside and outside the body plays a critical role in allowing us to adapt to changes in the…
6/17/2025
My primary research interest is in atherosclerosis, which is the cause of heart attack, stroke and peripheral arterial disease. Although mortality from atherosclerosis has had a decline in past few…
6/17/2025
Repair of the stereocilia actin core (project leader: Elizabeth Wagner) Hair bundles are complex structures that have to be maintained throughout the life of the organism, because mature mammalian hair cells…
6/17/2025
Transcriptional silencing Understanding how chromatin structure influences DNA-mediated processes has become a fundamental problem in cellular biology. Chromatin is known to influence the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression, DNA replication, DNA…
6/17/2025
Glial cells support normal brain function by maintaining ion and neurotransmitter homeostasis, by regulating local blood flow and by stabilizing the blood brain barrier. Many diseases present with an impairment…
6/17/2025
The Spencer lab studies host-pathogen interactions of Gram-positive bacteria, focusing on the major neonatal pathobiont Group B Streptococcus (GBS). GBS can asymptomatically colonize the female genital tract, leading to transmission…
6/17/2025
Defects in chromosome segregation can generate aneuploidy, a condition that is found in almost all human tumors and is the major cause of miscarriages and birth defects. The complex process…
