Endogenous neural stem cell reprograming for neuronal regeneration
Investigator: Romain Madelaine, Ph.D., MDI Biological Laboratory
Project Summary
Contrary to humans, some animals have the powerful capacity to fully regenerate damaged tissue and organs, including the nervous system. Our research focuses on...
Identification of genes involved in the crosstalk between a social host and facultative symbionts that can form long-term persistent association
Investigator: Suegene Noh, Ph.D., Colby College
Project Summary
Our goal is to better understand how and why fitness outcomes differ among hosts when they encounter the same microbial symbiont in social groups. The amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum...
Identification of neural and epigenetic biomarkers for affective dysfunction following early adversity
Project Summary
An individual’s early life environment plays a central role in shaping developmental trajectories, and therefore confers substantial influence on later-life physical and mental health outcomes. As such, early life adversity (ELA), i...
Identification, elucidation, and characterization of small molecules produced by common skin commensals and their role in microbe: microbe interactions and host health
Investigator: Coleen O'Loughlin, Ph.D.
Project Summary
The human body is covered in trillions of microbes that carry out important chemistry and biology that keeps us alive. Deep sequencing of these microbial roommates revealed thousands of biosynthetic...
Investigating the mechanism by which prophage alter mycobacterial antibiotic resistance
Project Summary
Mycobacterium abscessus is an emerging pathogen in cystic fibrosis patients with a treatment success rate of only 45%, and is considered one of the most drug-resistant bacteria. Resistant isolates commonly display increased...
Sequence requirements of viroporin ion channel activity
Project Summary
The Banks Lab studies biochemical features of viroporin proteins from pathogenic viruses like rotavirus, that disrupt membrane structures inside of our cells. Some of these viral proteins target common sites within the cell, or use related...