Research Interest: Systems Biology

PHD PROGRAM

RESEARCH INTEREST
Computational Biology, Neurobiology, Systems Biology

“I am interested in pursuing research in the field of computational neuroscience, specifically investigating the neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory formation. My focus lies in using computational models to understand how neural circuits process information and adapt to changing environments, with the ultimate goal of uncovering fundamental principles of brain function.”

PHD PROGRAM

RESEARCH INTEREST
Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Systems Biology

“I’ve really enjoyed working with imaging data in the past, and I’d love a chance to return to something involving optics (although I have a weak physics background- I would mainly be focused on the processing of images, not the acquisition of them). I’m also interested in synthetic biology, although I don’t think my particular skillset suits it very well.”

PHD PROGRAM
Cell Biology & Physiology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Bioinformatics, Cancer Biology, Cancer Immunology, Cancer Signaling & Biochemistry, Chemical Biology, Computational Biology, Gene Therapy, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Signal Transduction, Systems Biology, Translational Medicine, Virology

The Chung lab is engineering immune cells, particularly T cells, to achieve maximum therapeutic efficacy at the right place and timing. We explore the crossroads of synthetic biology, immunology, and cancer biology. Particularly, we are employing protein engineering, next-gen sequencing, CRISPR screening, and bioinformatics to achieve our objectives:

(1) Combinatorial recipes of transcription factors for T cell programming.

(2) Technologies for temporal regulation and/or rewiring of tumor and immune signal activation (chemokine, nuclear, inhibitor receptors).

(3) Synthetic oncolytic virus for engineering tumor-T cell crosstalk.

PHD PROGRAM
Cell Biology & Physiology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Cell Biology, Chemical Biology, Developmental Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Systems Biology

We study proteases that induce rapid changes in cell morphology, behavior, and identity. We are particularly interested in ones that play a role in myotube formation, muscular dystrophies, rhabdomyosarcoma, and cachexia. Our model systems include C2C12 cells, primary myoblasts, patient-derived iPSCs, and zebrafish. In addition to standard cell biology approaches, we make use of chemical biology and advanced microscopy techniques. Ultimately, we seek to identify a combination of protease inhibitors/activators that can cure musculoskeletal diseases.

PHD PROGRAM
Biochemistry & Biophysics, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Biophysics, Cardiovascular Biology, Cell Signaling, Computational Biology, Enzymology, Hematology, Pharmacology, Quantitative Biology, Systems Biology

I am a mathematical biologist interested in the biochemical and biophysical aspects of blood clotting and emergent behavior in biological fluid-structure interaction problems. I especially love mathematical modeling, where creativity, biological knowledge, and mathematical insight meet. My goal is to use mathematical and computational modeling as a tool to learn something new about a biological system, not just to simply match model output to experimental data. My research paradigm includes an integration of mathematical and experimental approaches, together with statistical analyses and inference, to determine mechanisms underlying complex biological phenomena. This paradigm culminates in the contextualization of my findings to both the mathematical and biological communities. My research program is focused mainly on studying the influence of biochemical and biophysical mechanisms on blood coagulation, clot formation, and bleeding.

PHD PROGRAM
Microbiology & Immunology, Pathobiology & Translational Science

RESEARCH INTEREST
Bacteriology, Molecular Biology, Pathogenesis & Infection, Systems Biology

Our lab uses a systems biology approach to study phenotypic heterogeneity in bacteria. We develop tools that quantify single cell bacterial transcription. We then compare dynamic measurements during vegetative growth and infection to identify regulators of gene expression and mechanisms that bacteria use to coordinate community organization. With this data we want to understand the role of heterogeneity and noise in infectious disease.

PHD PROGRAM
Applied Physical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering

RESEARCH INTEREST
Biomaterials, Biophysics, Cell Biology, Computational Biology, Systems Biology

Superfine’s group studies stimulus-responsive active and living materials from the scale of individual molecules to physiological tissues, including DNA, cells and microfluidic-based tissue models. We develop new techniques using advanced optical, scanning probe, and magnetic force microscopy. We pursue diverse physiological phenomena from cancer to immunology to mucus clearance in the lung. Our work includes developing systems that mimic biology, most recently in the form of engineered cilia arrays that mimic lung tissue while providing unique solutions in biomedical devices.

PHD PROGRAM
Cell Biology & Physiology, Genetics & Molecular Biology, Microbiology & Immunology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Cancer Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Systems Biology, Translational Medicine

The Miller lab is working to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy to treat cancer. We aim to develop personalized immunotherapy approaches based on a patient’s unique cancer mutations. We have a particular interest in myeloid cells, a poorly understood group of innate immune cells that regulate nearly all aspects of the immune response. Using patient samples, mouse models, single-cell profiling, and functional genomics approaches, we are working to identify novel myeloid-directed therapies that allow us to overcome resistance and successfully treat more patients.

PHD PROGRAM
Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biophysics, Cancer Biology, Computational Biology, Genomics, Pharmacology, Structural Biology, Systems Biology, Translational Medicine

A growing body of work in the biomedical sciences generates and analyzes omics data; our lab’s work contributes to these efforts by focusing on the integration of different omics data types to bring mechanistic insights to the multi-scale nature of cellular processes. The focus of our research is on developing systems genomics approaches to study the impact of genomic variation on genome function. We have used this focus to study genetic and molecular variation in both natural and engineered cellular systems and approach these topics through the lens of computational biology, machine learning and advanced omics data integration. More specifically, we create methods to reveal functional relationships across genomics, transcriptomics, ribosome profiling, proteomics, structural genomics, metabolomics and phenotype variability data. Our integrative omics methods improve understanding of how cells achieve regulation at multiple scales of complexity and link to genetic and molecular variants that influence these processes. Ultimately, the goal of our research is advancing the analysis of high-throughput omics technologies to empower patient care and clinical trial selections. To this end, we are developing integrative methods to improve mutation panels by selecting more informative genetic and molecular biomarkers that match disease relevance.

PHD PROGRAM
Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Genetics & Molecular Biology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Immunology, Pathogenesis & Infection, Systems Biology, Virology

In the Ferris lab, we use genetically diverse mouse strains to better understand the role of genetic variation in immune responses to a variety of insults. We then study these variants mechanistically. We also develop genetic and genomic datasets and resources to better identify genetic features associated with these immunological differences.