Nuclear Condensates
The cell nucleus is host to several distinct biomolecular condensates, the largest and most complex of these being the multi-layered nucleolus.
I am interested in the biogenesis and roles of the innermost phases of the nucleolus.
Using a combination of bioinformatic, in vitro, and in vivo approaches, I have uncovered the key scaffolding molecules of these phases and determined how they contribute to ribosomal RNA production and flux.
Polyampholyte proteins
Polyampholyte intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), which contain a mix of positively and negatively charged amino acids, constitute about 70% of the disorderome. Despite their abundance, these IDRs remain understudied.
Leveraging a range of analytical tools, including those traditionally reserved for polymer analysis, I have uncovered interesting phase behaviors of archetypal polyampholytic IDRs.
These approaches will help us understand how these IDRs, which constitute nearly a third of the proteome, contribute to the healthy and diseased states of the cell.
Protein Engineering
Working with the Singananemi and Vahey groups, I developed a multivalent detector for the Spike protein on SARS-CoV-2.
Using this system, we can directly detect virus particles from patient samples at sensitivities in the picomolar range, outperforming commercial technologies by up to 1,000-fold.