Photo by National Cancer Institute
Research
We are interested in mechanisms and regulation of translation. We are using biochemical and single-molecule methods to understand how ribosomes synthesize proteins and how they are regulated by mRNA, factors, and small molecules.
Single-molecule methods allow direct observation of proteins and nucleic acids as they undergo biochemical reactions. This provides precise and unambiguous dissection of complex biological processes. While powerful, these approaches are also challenging, laborious, and require expensive instrumentation. We are seeking to advance single-molecule toolbox by developing new instrumentation and data analysis pipelines. We want to develop new approaches that will make single-molecule tool widely accessible to the scientific community.
Our group is a part of Biophysics Cluster. The cluster was established in 2017 and is a new focus area at Auburn University.