Search
Now showing items 11-20 of 25
α-Synuclein Induces Mitochondrial Dysfunction Through Spectrin and the Actin Cytoskeleton
(2018-09-16)
Abnormal accumulation of the cytoplasmic protein α-synuclein in vulnerable neurons and glial is a pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy, collectively termed ...
Dendrite Patterning as a Model for Self-Organizing Systems
(2018-01-05)
Biological systems self-organize into complex well-ordered structures and can evolve new patterns when perturbed. To identify principles underlying self-organization, I turned to the model organism C. elegans for its ...
A Tale of Brothers, Sisters, Aunts and Uncles: Using Genomics and Modeling to Uncover the Nature of P. Falciparum Polygenomic Infections and Cotransmission
(2018-01-17)
A curious feature of malaria epidemiology is the presence of polygenomic (multiple strain) infections in natural parasite populations. Polygenomic infections are an important aspect of malaria transmission and a necessary ...
Genetic Basis of Metabolic Evolution in the Cave Fish Astyanax Mexicanus
(2018-05-12)
Organisms evolve to thrive in new environments. In spite of the role metabolism plays in adaptation, the genetic basis for metabolic variation remains poorly understood. Here we use independently derived populations of ...
Genomic Analysis of Viral Outbreaks
(2018-05-11)
Due to recent advances in sequencing technologies, genomics has emerged as a powerful tool for combating viral outbreaks. In this dissertation, I show how genomic data can be used to understand the transmission, as well ...
Evolutionary dynamics of CRISPR gene drives
(2018-09-16)
The alteration of wild populations has been discussed as a solution to a number of humanity’s most pressing ecological and public health problems. Enabled by the recent revolution in genome editing, CRISPR gene drive ...
Computational and Statistical Methods for Characterizing Single-Cell Heterogeneity
(2018-01-19)
The emergence of single-cell technologies has highlighted the potential to discover novel cellular subpopulations and states within heterogeneous populations. Such technologies are achieving increasingly higher-throughput, ...
Mechanisms of Scale Invariance in Embryonic Patterning Systems
(2018-05-10)
Embryos pattern themselves with remarkable consistency and readily adjust their patterning programs to drastic changes in embryo size. This robustness of pattern formation, termed scale invariance, requires cells to determine ...
Temporal Regulation of Chromatin Organization During C. Elegans Embryogenesis
(2018-05-01)
In all eukaryotic cells, the genetic material is organized into a complex structure composed of DNA and protein: chromatin. Organization of chromatin structure in the nucleus influences all functions of the genome including ...
Directed evolution of Cas9 for mammalian genome editing
(2018-05-14)
The ability to manipulate the genome has been a longstanding goal since the discovery of the central dogma of molecular biology. Such a technology would not only allow us to correct deleterious mutations for human therapeutics ...