Sensing the world one cilium at a time

Why do we need cilia in our physiology?

Primary cilia are tiny sensory organelles that project from the surface of nearly every cell in our body. They concentrate receptors, ion channels, and signaling molecules at a specialized membrane domain, yet we still do not fully understand why cells need this compartmentalized small organelle or how its unique properties contribute to physiology.

The Ha Lab studies primary cilia as fundamental sensory and signaling organelles. We combine ciliary electrophysiology, biophysics, live-cell imaging, and quantitative modeling to uncover how ion channels and membrane signals operate within this exceptionally small compartment. By connecting molecular events at the cilium to cellular, tissue, and whole-organism physiology, we seek to understand why cilia are necessary for cells to sense and respond to their environment.

Our work spans scales from single channel biophysics and ciliary membrane dynamics to tissues and whole organisms. We utilize mouse model, human organoids, and zebrafish to understand the physiological role of primary cilia. We ask how a micro-sized organelle can detect changes in its environment, transform those signals into electrical and chemical information, and ultimately influence physiology and human disease.