Dustin Updike

Dustin Updike is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering (University of Maine). His research focuses on the biophysical properties of germ granules and their role in maintaining germline totipotency and cellular immortality using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism.

• Education:
  • B.S. in Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming (1999)
  • PhD in Human Genetics, University of Utah (2006)

Updike’s work investigates how germ granules—conserved structures across species—act as cytoplasmic regulators of gene expression. His lab examines their role in nuclear pore complex interactions, post-transcriptional processing, and potential applications in stem cell biology. Using C. elegans, his team leverages genetic tools and fluorescence microscopy to dissect granule assembly and function.

His 15 most recent publications (2015–2025) reveal a consistent focus on germ granule components, RNA regulatory mechanisms, and germline-specific epigenetic pathways. Key subfields include phase separation dynamics, translational repression, and cross-species conservation of granule functions.

• Grants:
  • NIH/NIGMS R01 (2015–present): Function of germ granules in maintaining germline pluripotency
  • COBRE Grant (2013–2015): Germ granules in cellular self-renewal

• Service:
  • GSBSE Admissions Committee (2012–2015)
  • MDI Bio Lab Seminar Speaker Committee Chair (2013–2015)
  • Outreach Instructor in CRISPR/Cas9 and developmental genetics (2014–present)