Cell Size Control

All cells control their size to optimize function. In spite of our exquisite molecular knowledge built up over the last 3 decades, and the 100-year old literature on this question, we do not yet understand how this works. Our central question is to determine how cell growth triggers cell division using modern quantitative methods?

Systems Biology

Understanding the principles underlying genetic control circuits will be a central aim of biological research in the coming decade.  These principles, when found, should provide a unifying framework for understanding disparate natural systems and aid in the design of robust synthetic circuits for medical and engineering purposes.

Our Projects

We are currently mainly interested in understanding cell size control (in budding yeast, human cells, mice, and frogs). We also study the biochemistry of cyclin-dependent kinase regulation at the core of the size-dependent G1/S control with an eye towards developing new molecular medicines. Our analysis of diverse organisms allow us to identify the conservation of systems level features of cell cycle control common to eukaryotes.

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