The Arango group investigates the mechanisms by which post-transcriptional modifications of RNA regulate protein synthesis and how these mechanisms affect cell fate decisions such as cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and cell death in oncogenic processes. They integrate RNA biology, transcriptomics, and cell biology to uncover novel mechanisms of gene expression regulation and generate new tools that can be harnessed for therapeutic means. 

The Bao lab uses integrating genomics, proteomics, genetics, biochemistry, and imaging to systematically characterize multiple steps of gene regulation, in both normal and diseased conditions in the model of self-renewing human epidermal tissue. Our ultimate goal is to provide fundamental insights into both normal tissue homeostasis as well as disease progression. 

The long-term goal of the Brown laboratory is to understand the structural, biochemical, and cellular roles of RNA triple helices using the MALAT1 triple helix as a model. To investigate questions, the lab currently using a variety of approaches, including X-ray crystallography, single-particle cryo-EM, cell-based assays, molecular biology, classical biochemistry and high-throughput methods.

The Drummond lab focuses on several aspects: (1) Evolution of protein synthesis (natural selection on protein synthesis sculpts genomes in profound ways), (2) Protein misfolding and gene expression (protein misfolding generates toxic molecules and stimulates cellular stress responses), (3) Engineering self-assembling proteins (discovering self-assembling proteins in cells allows us to exploit triggerable assembly for useful tasks), (4) Regulation by massive molecular assembly (stress triggers proteins to clump together into massive assemblies).

The Fei lab aims at providing a quantitative description at the molecular, cellular, and the systems levels. Using bacteria as model systems, the mission is to understand the molecular mechanisms by which sRNAs modulate messenger RNA (mRNA) translation and degradation, as well as physiological response caused by sRNA-mediated regulation in the context of pathogenic bacteria-host interactions.

The Hastings lab investigates the molecular basis of human disease. A broad spectrum of diseases are caused by aberrant RNAs. The lab studies how pre-mRNA splicing and expression of small non-coding regulatory microRNAs are altered in diseased cells: Usher syndrome, Batten Disease, Spinal muscular atrophy and Alzheimer’s disease are focuses of research.

The He lab's (UofC) research spans a broad range of chemical biology, nucleic acid chemistry and biology, epigenetics, cell biology, bioinorganic chemistry, structural biology, microbiology, and genomics. The lab probes the pathways and mechanisms of nucleic acids modification and demodification. They also study virulence and antibiotic resistance regulation in human pathogens. In addition, they study selective metal ion recognition and sensing by naturally occurring and engineered proteins, and live-cell imaging of metal ions and other small molecules such as H2S, heme, and CO.

The He lab (NU) is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which large, multi-subunit complexes engage in DNA-centric processes using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and other biophysical and biochemical approaches. The lab focuses on two main topics: (1) how eukaryotic gene transcription is regulated at different stages, and (2) how various types of DNA damage are repaired and why deficiencies in these repair pathways lead to pathology of cancer predisposition or accelerated aging.

The Jeffery lab (UIC) uses a combination of biochemistry, biophysics and bioinformatics methods to study enzymes in intermediary metabolism (such as in glycolysis and the citric acid cycle) that have been found to have a second function of binding to RNA. Combining catalytic and RNA binding functions in one protein can help coordinate cellular activities, for example, by sensing the cell’s metabolic state through availability of the enzyme’s ligands and responding by regulating translation of specific transcripts. Our goals are to determine the mechanisms of RNA binding to moonlighting metabolic enzymes and the effects of these interactions on protein and RNA functions.

The Ji lab develops integrated computational and experimental genomics approaches to examine the regulation of gene transcription and RNA translation underlying cell fate commitment and oncogenic processes. They aim to reveal novel disease therapeutic strategies for precision medicine and immunotherapy.

The Li lab uses computational, statistical, and genetic tools to better understand the diverse gene regulatory mechanisms that connect genetic variation to phenotypic variation. They are particularly interested in the following topics: mechanisms of gene regulation, regulatory variation in complex traits, autoimmune disease -omics, comparative genomics.

The Lee lab's research has demonstrated a critical role of piRNA, germline enriched small RNAs, in silencing transposons and transgenes with foreign sequences using nematode C. elegans as a model organism. ​The aim is to address three fundamental questions regarding to such a genome defense system: (1) How does the organism recognize the invading nucleic acids as “foreign” to mount a defense response? (2) How does the organism mark “self” genes to keep them from being recognized? (3) How does dysfunction of such genome defense system contribute to infertility?

The Lucks laboratory is interested in unraveling the design principles that underlie the relationship between the sequence, structure and function of RNA molecules. It is the goal to understand and design these structures so that we may utilize RNA function to engineer biomolecular systems as solutions to challenging problems in biology, medicine, and biotechnology.

The Mankin lab's main areas of research are: (1) Molecular mechanisms of protein synthesis, (2) mechanisms of antibiotic action, (3) ribosome engineering.

The Merrill lab is broadly interested in figuring out what drives cell fate decisions, and how these decisions are important for embryogenesis and stem cell maintenance in vivo. They have centered our efforts on the roles of a family of DNA-binding transcriptional regulators called Tcf/Lef factors. Another emerging area in the lab involves genome editing at multiple levels, from the biophysical forces used by RNA-guided nucleases to the safety of genome editing based therapies.

The Mondragón laboratory is focused on understanding the relationship between atomic structure and biological function of important proteins and nucleic acids. They have combine a variety of structural approaches with a wide range of biophysical and biochemical techniques to understand the workings of some of the most ubiquitous molecules in the cell.

The Pak lab's research falls under the broad category of neuro-endocrinology with a specific focus on the molecular signaling properties of nuclear steroid receptors and the process of sexual maturation. The three current projects include (1) Ligand-independent ERb signaling in the aged brain. (2) Regulation of miRNAs in the brain by estrogen, aging, and alcohol. (3) Long-term neurobiological consequences of adolescent binge alcohol exposure.

The Pan lab focuses on (i) functional genomics and biology of tRNA including microbiomes and (ii) epitranscriptomics including microbiome-host interactions.

The Pincus lab studies "System Mechanics of Cellular Stress Responses", defined as quantitative control processes cells employ to sense and respond to environmental and endogenous perturbations. They use budding yeast and cultured human cells as experimental models, and applies this toolkit to investigate three interconnected areas: 1) Hsf1, chaperones, and proteostasis networks 2) Stress responsive kinase signaling 3) Stress responsive gene expression The goal of the research program is to understand the establishment and maintenance of cell-level homeostasis.

The Polikanov lab is focused on elucidating the structure and functions of the ribosome, understanding the basic principles of protein synthesis in bacteria, the modes of action of ribosome-targeting antibiotics, and mechanisms of drug resistance at a structural level.

The Ruthenburg research program spans a host of traditional disciplines (discovery biochemistry, chemical biology, biophysics, technology development, quantitative genomics and cell biology) with the goal of developing fundamental mechanistic understanding of epigenetic information systems through three main avenues.

The Shrinivas laboratory goal is to understand, and subsequently engineer, how biomolecules self-organize in cells to enable the diverse functions of life. At the intersection of biology, physics, and engineering, we will work to elucidate fundamental scientific mechanisms while also pursuing translational applications to impact human health and bioengineering

The Simonović lab's aim is to visualize, and thus explain at the structural level, processes that govern fidelity of gene translation. The goal is to expand humans understanding and knowledge about fundamental biological processes in living organisms.

The Staley lab's goal is to understand the mechanism and regulation of nuclear pre-mRNA splicing, an essential step in eukaryotic gene expression. Using the model organism S. cerevisiae, they apply a wide array of approaches, ranging from single molecule microscopy, biophysics, and chemical biology to biochemistry and cell biology to genetics and genomics to gain a deep understanding of how the spliceosome catalyzes and regulates pre-mRNA splicing.

The Yang lab researches RNA splicing and lncRNA in cancer through computational methods for analyzing multidimensional omics data, especially in the area of detecting and analyzing genetic and transcriptomic alterations using second and third generation sequencing data.

The Yap lab broadly investigates the mechanisms used in bacterial cells to regulate antibiotic resistance and gene expression at the translational level. Their long-term goals are to address mechanistic questions about ribosome specialization and resistance evolution, in addition to developing aptamer-based diagnostic tools for bacterial pathogens.

The Yi lab studies mechanisms that govern cell fate specification, stem cell maintenance, aging, cancer and human skin diseases. They use single-cell genomics and computational tools, live animal imaging and genetically engineered mouse models to study gene expression regulation mediated by transcription factors, epigenetic regulators, miRNAs and RNA binding proteins as well as metabolic genes at the single-cell resolution in mammalian skin.

The Zhang lab studies fundamental mechanisms of brain development and disorders, and our specific interests include: tracing cell types and lineages in mammalian brains, genetic mechanisms of neuronal type specification, and roles of RNA splicing diversity in neural development and diseases. They develop and apply single cell approaches, animal models, and functional genomics to address these questions.