We investigate mechanobiology processes at the single-molecular, molecular assembly, and cellular level. We use optical tweezers to reveal interactions between individual nucleic acid structures and motor proteins (e.g. polymerases) from mechanical perspectives. At the cellular level, we strive to probe the effect of molecular machineries such as protein aggregates and organelles on cell mechanics such as migrations and divisions.
Our lab develops translational therapies for regeneration and recovery after spinal cord injuries and discovers drugs to stop glioblastoma progression in mice, aiming to advance these into clinical trials
We investigate diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, and stem cell-based gene therapy.
We investigate the inflammatory component of Alzheimer's disease using various mouse models. We are interested in microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, as well as components of the circulating peripheral immune system and their interactions with microglia, as well as how these cells may respond differently based on sex.
We investigate circadian rhythms of feeding and activity and how they interact with environmental stimuli. We also study how disruption of circadian rhythms alters reproductive cycles.
Dr. Mintz's Lab Website
Students, faculty and veterans met at the Student Green for an early Veterans Day Commemoration on Friday, November 8. The university’s Army and Air Force ROTC groups stood beside local veterans for a flag-raising ceremony and speeches, along with keynote speaker and Alumna Major Alison Brager, Ph.D. ‘11 who spoke of her time in both the military and 51±¬ÁÏ’s Department of Biological Sciences. Brager, who earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience at 51±¬ÁÏ, talked about the soft skills she learned that helped her in the military, especially with the work she did in New York City...
We investigate the effects of environmental stressors on the human thermal, metabolic and immunologic responses.
We investigate how the brain modulates skeletal muscle thermogenesis—heat generation in muscle—and how this impacts energy balance and body weight.
Dr. Novak's Lab Website
We investigate early mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease. Our goal is to discover how disruption of basic functions of the body can drive disease processes that destroy the brain. We study how integrin protein dysfunction is an early driver of AD pathology, and how AD pathology affects visual system signaling.
We investigate how microbial symbionts shape the ecology and evolution of their vertebrate hosts. Our lab uses a combination of multi-omic techniques, germ-free animal experiments, and natural history studies to determine how intestinal microorganisms affect the phenotypes of wild vertebrates in nature.
