معرفی
Tomas Kirchhausen, Ph.D. holds the Springer Family Professorship of Pediatrics and is a Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School (HMS). He is also a Senior Investigator at the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. His research focuses on membrane remodeling dynamics, organelle biogenesis, and viral entry mechanisms, employing advanced imaging techniques like lattice light-sheet microscopy with adaptive optics (AO-LLSM).
Key research interests include understanding endocytic pathways, clathrin-mediated processes, and the development of microscopy tools for live-cell imaging. His lab has pioneered the use of AO-LLSM to study molecular events in real-time, integrating cryo-EM data to create 'molecular movies' of cellular processes. Applications span virology (SARS-CoV-2, rotavirus), immunology (granulysin-mediated killing), and developmental biology (sonic hedgehog secretion).
Notable contributions include structural insights into viral fusion proteins, drug discovery targeting SARS-CoV-2 membrane fusion, and engineering organ-on-a-chip models for studying blood-brain barrier dynamics. The lab’s work bridges molecular-resolution imaging with systems-level cellular biology, addressing diseases like cancer, viral infections, and neurodegeneration.
Technological innovations include high-resolution imaging systems and machine learning algorithms for analyzing single-particle tracking data. Collaborative efforts focus on translating microscopy advancements to clinical research and therapeutics.
