Nathalie Bérubé is a Professor at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, affiliated with the Department of Paediatrics. She works as a Basic Scientist, focusing on epigenetic mechanisms in brain development and neuronal function. Research Interests: Her work investigates how chromatin remodeling complexes regulate gene transcription through epigenetic modifications. Key research areas include: Epigenetic regulation of brain development ATRX protein function in chromatin accessibility DNA methylation dynamics Neuronal survival and differentiation Mouse models of chromatin remodeling disorders Her recent studies using ATRX gain and loss-of-function mouse models have significantly advanced understanding of neurodevelopmental processes.
Dr. Gregory Yochum is an Associate Professor at Penn State University, affiliated with both the College of Medicine's Department of Molecular and Precision Medicine and Department of Surgery. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in intestinal homeostasis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and colorectal cancer (CRC), with a specific emphasis on MYC proto-oncogene regulation through chromatin architecture modifications and long-range DNA loops. BS, Bucknell University (1990-1994) PhD, University of Utah (1996-2002) Postdoctoral Fellowship, Vollum Institute for Advanced Biomedical Research (2002-2009) Current projects investigate how TCF/β-catenin complexes modulate target gene expression, alongside the role of RNA-binding protein TTP in intestinal barrier function and its implications for ulcerative colitis (UC) and CRC. Collaborations with Dr. Walter Koltun's lab utilize a biobank of 4,500+ patients to explore genetic and environmental factors (e.g., microbiome) in intestinal disease. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through advancements in medical research and education. Key research outputs include studies on: BRD4 inhibition for IBD therapy Epigenetic alterations in pediatric IBD Metabolic reprogramming in CRC metastasis Interferon signaling in bladder cancer Microbial consortia in diverticulitis His lab employs biochemical approaches in CRC cell lines, mouse models, and human tissues to validate findings.
Professor Nikolas Haass is a clinician-scientist at the Frazer Institute (University of Queensland) with expertise in melanoma cell biology and experimental therapy. His research focuses on dynamic tumor heterogeneity, combining real-time cell cycle imaging in 3D cultures and in vivo models with biochemical methods to study melanomagenesis and therapeutic targeting. University of Heidelberg (MD, Cell Biology PhD) University of Hamburg (Clinical Dermatology) Wistar Institute (Postdoc, 2003-2007) Centenary Institute/University of Sydney (Associate Faculty, 2007-2013) UQ Diamantina Institute (2013-2016 as Associate Professor, then promoted to Professor) His team has published 97 high-impact papers with >7500 citations, including landmark studies in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics , Cancer Research , and PNAS that were highlighted by Faculty 1000 Biology. Current grants include projects on tumor microenvironment modulation, endoplasmic reticulum stress induction, and melanoma brain metastasis therapy. He supervises multiple PhD students in areas including MITF-CDK4/6 interactions and 3D spheroid proteomics. His work bridges tumor-stroma interactions, immunogenic cell death, and advanced imaging technologies.
Dr. Tracy Johnson is a faculty member at the University of California, Los Angeles affiliated with the Molecular Biology Institute . With over 20 years of academic productivity, her research spans RNA splicing mechanisms, co-transcriptional regulation, and health services innovation. Key contributions to understanding spliceosome dynamics in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Interdisciplinary work connecting chromatin remodeling with metabolic regulation Leadership in healthcare systems analysis for vulnerable populations Publications between 2002-2021 demonstrate sustained expertise across molecular genetics and translational medicine. Notably, her 2019 work on H3K36 methylation and 2020 Science article on systemic racism in academia reflect both scientific and social impact.
Martina Brueckner is a Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology) at Yale University School of Medicine, where she has been a faculty member since completing her fellowship in 1990. She holds primary appointments in Pediatric Cardiology and secondary appointments in Genetics, with affiliations across multiple departments including the Children's Heart Center, Genetics, Human Genome Sciences, Molecular Cell Biology, and the Pediatric Cardiogenetics Program. Dr. Brueckner earned her BS and MD degrees from the University of Virginia, completed her Pediatric Residency at the University of Pittsburgh, and finished her Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship at Yale. Her research program bridges developmental biology with clinical pediatric cardiology, focusing on the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying congenital heart disease (CHD). Her laboratory has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding the role of cilia in establishing left-right asymmetry during embryonic development. Her team discovered that the axonemal dynein left-right dynein (lrd) is essential for vertebrate left-right asymmetry, and they demonstrated that polycystin-2 containing immotile cilia sense directional flow to initiate asymmetric signaling. Her current research focuses on three main areas: understanding cellular mechanisms of vertebrate LR asymmetry, elucidating the genetic architecture of CHD, and investigating chromatin regulation in cilia and cardiac development. Analysis of Dr. Brueckner's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on the intersection of genomics, developmental biology, and clinical cardiology. Her work increasingly integrates large-scale genomic approaches with basic developmental mechanisms, particularly examining how chromatin remodeling, cilia function, and calcium signaling contribute to cardiac development and disease. Her research has direct clinical implications, connecting genetic discoveries to improved patient care. Dr. Brueckner has received significant recognition for her work, including membership in the Association of American Physicians (2023), membership in the American Pediatric Society (2019), and the NHLBI Outstanding Investigator award from NIH (2019). As a physician-scientist, Dr. Brueckner co-founded one of the first pediatric cardiac genetics clinics at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital, providing comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and follow-up care for patients with genetic-cardiovascular disease. She has been actively involved in the Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium (PCGC), which has recruited approximately 13,000 patients with CHD to apply genomic approaches for understanding the genetics of congenital heart disease. Her laboratory continues to innovate with advanced technologies for live imaging of intraciliary calcium in zebrafish and mouse embryos, exploring the link between mechanical stimuli, calcium signaling, and asymmetric organ development. The Brueckner Lab maintains active collaborations with researchers across Yale and beyond, including Richard Lifton and the Yale Center for Genome Analysis.
Jean-Paul Armache is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Pennsylvania State University, affiliated with the Eberly College of Science. His research focuses on the structural and functional analysis of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes, particularly their role in gene regulation and nucleosome dynamics. He is also involved in virology studies related to SARS-CoV-2 and utilizes cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) for high-resolution structural analysis of protein-DNA interactions. Key Affiliations: Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences, Center for Structural Biology, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Center for RNA Molecular Biology. Research Highlights: Mechanisms of chromatin remodeling enzymes, viral protein interactions with host ribosomes, and cryo-EM method development. His recent work includes seed-funded projects on SARS-CoV-2 nsp1 protein and collaborations on opioid settlement fund analysis. Publications span top journals like Nature , Science , and Molecular Cell , with expertise in structural biology and enzymology. Scientific Contributions: Developed cryo-EM methodologies for studying membrane proteins and nucleosome complexes. Elucidated regulatory mechanisms of chromatin remodelers like Chd1 and Dot1L. Investigated viral strategies for hijacking host translation machinery.
Shaun A. Mahony, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Penn State Cancer Institute. His research focuses on transcription factor dynamics, chromatin biology, and gene regulation mechanisms. NSF CAREER Award recipient for cross-cell type transcription factor binding prediction Multiple NIH/NIGMS grants for genomic regulatory programs and epigenetic modeling Developed innovative computational methods for epigenomic analysis Research interests include: Transcription factor binding specificity Chromatin landscape analysis Computational epigenetics Gene regulatory network modeling Protein-DNA interaction dynamics Cancer-associated regulatory mechanisms His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through genomic research advancements.
Vassilios J. Bezzerides is a physician scientist at Boston Children's Hospital, with academic affiliations to Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. His work bridges clinical practice in pediatric cardiology with cutting-edge research in molecular biology and cardiac gene therapy. Undergraduate: University of Washington (1998) PhD: Biophysics, Harvard University (2004) MD: Harvard Medical School (2006) Internship: Boston Children's Hospital (2009) Fellowship: Pediatric Cardiology (2011), Cardiac Electrophysiology (2013) His research focuses on genetic and molecular mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies, with particular expertise in gene therapy, iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, and CaMKII signaling. Recent work explores N-terminal acetylation dysregulation, CRISPR/AAV genome editing, and CITED4 gene therapy for cardiac remodeling. Publications highlight trends in inherited arrhythmia syndromes, stem cell applications in cardiovascular disease modeling, and pharmacological interventions for pediatric cardiac disorders. Key keywords include Cardiology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Stem Cell Research, Pediatrics , and Bioengineering . Scientific awards: None listed in provided data. Lab affiliations: Research conducted at Boston Children's Hospital, focusing on pediatric cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology.
Stephen Buratowski is the Hamilton Kuhn Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School, where he leads an active research laboratory studying the mechanisms of eukaryotic gene expression. His research has significantly advanced our understanding of RNA polymerase II transcription and its connections to chromatin modifications and mRNA processing. Dr. Buratowski's research focuses on three interconnected areas of gene expression: (A) the functions and interactions of RNA polymerase II basal transcription factors, (B) communication between chromatin and the transcription machinery, and (C) mRNA processing enzymes and their interactions with RNA polymerase II. His lab uses yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system, employing biochemical, genetic, genomic, proteomic, and single-molecule approaches to dissect these complex processes. Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent focus on transcription mechanisms, particularly the CTD code (phosphorylation patterns of RNA polymerase II's C-terminal domain), transcription elongation and termination mechanisms, and the interplay between transcription and chromatin modifications. His work has established fundamental principles in how histone modifications are targeted to specific genomic regions through connections with the transcription machinery. Elected to the 2025 class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Holds the prestigious Hamilton Kuhn Professorship, an endowed chair previously held by biochemistry giants including Chris Walsh, Gene Kennedy, Albert Baird Hastings, and Otto Folin Dr. Buratowski has mentored numerous successful scientists throughout his career, with many former lab members now holding faculty positions at institutions worldwide. His laboratory maintains active collaborations with other researchers, including Jarrod Marto at DFCI/HMS for proteomics work and Jeff Gelles at Brandeis University for single-molecule microscopy studies. The lab continues to investigate fundamental mechanisms of gene expression using cutting-edge approaches, including single-molecule studies of RNA polymerase II transcription and proteomics of transcription initiation and elongation complexes.
Edith Heard is a leading researcher in epigenetics, currently serving as Professor at the Collège de France since 2012. She directs the Epigenetics and Cellular Memory chair, focusing on X chromosome inactivation, nuclear organization, and epigenetic mechanisms in development and disease. Born in London (1965) Trained at Cambridge University Doctorate at Imperial Cancer Research Fund Joined Institut Pasteur (1990) Heads Genetics and Developmental Biology Unit at Institut Curie Executive Director of EMBL since 2019 Her research explores X chromosome inactivation in mammals, uncovering its evolutionary variability and role in disease. She investigates epigenetic processes in cancer, immune disorders, and neurological conditions, linking chromatin dynamics to cellular memory and phenotypic diversity. Her work on topological domains (TADs) has reshaped understanding of genome organization. Key recent lectures include topics like X-linked autoimmune diseases , environmental epigenetics , and monoallelic gene expression . Her findings bridge developmental biology, evolutionary adaptation, and disease susceptibility. CNRS Gold Medal (2024) ERC Advanced Investigator Award (2010) Inserm Grand Prix (2017) EMBO member since 2005 She organizes annual symposia and public lectures on epigenetic mechanisms, emphasizing their implications for female biology and therapeutic potential in cancer and genetic diseases.
Yoshiaki Yasumizu is an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine, specializing in neuroimmunology and autoimmune disease mechanisms. His primary affiliation is with the David Hafler Laboratory within Yale's Neuroimmunology Lab, focusing on T-cell biology and transcriptomic analyses of autoimmune conditions. His research centers on autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders. Key methodologies involve single-cell RNA sequencing, transcriptomic profiling, and computational analysis of immune cell populations. Major contributions include identifying disease-specific gene expression patterns in thymoma, characterizing T-cell subsets in autoimmune conditions, and developing viral analysis pipelines from RNA-seq data. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals strong emphasis on immune cell dynamics following therapeutic interventions (particularly B-cell depletion), spatial organization of autoimmune responses in thymic tissue, and molecular mechanisms linking genetic variants to autoimmune susceptibility. His work bridges computational biology with experimental immunology, frequently employing multi-omics approaches to dissect disease pathogenesis. Yasumizu collaborates extensively within the Hafler Lab network, with frequent co-authorship with David Hafler, Erin Longbrake, Khadir Raddassi, Le Zhang, and M. Elizabeth Deerhake. His research is supported through Yale's Department of Neurology infrastructure and NIH-funded initiatives within the Neuroimmunology program. His technical expertise spans advanced genomic techniques including single-cell transcriptomics, epigenomic analysis, and bioinformatics pipeline development. Current work focuses on translating transcriptomic signatures into clinically actionable biomarkers for autoimmune disease monitoring and treatment response prediction.
Roberto Bonasio, Ph.D., is a Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the Perelman School of Medicine , University of Pennsylvania. He serves as Core Faculty at the Penn Epigenetics Institute and Member of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Research Interests : The Bonasio Lab explores epigenetic gene regulation in brain function, focusing on noncoding RNAs , chromatin biochemistry , and gene-behavior relationships . His work spans traditional (mice) and non-traditional models (ants, fruit flies, planarians). Recent Articles highlight studies on neuropeptide-driven caste behavior in ants, RNA-binding chromatin complexes , and methodological innovations like ligation-independent RNA sequencing. Students : Roberto mentors PhD candidates in the Cell and Molecular Biology (CAMB) and Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics (BMB) graduate groups, including Johnny Doherty, Segovia Garcia, Lauren Reich, and Julia Tasca. Labs & Teams : The lab integrates epigenetics, genomics, and neurobiology , with expertise in single-cell RNA sequencing , protein-RNA interaction mapping , and R-loop analysis . Key collaborators include Penn researchers and international institutions.
Elizabeth A. Heller is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania within the Perelman School of Medicine and the Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics . She is a member of the Penn Epigenetics Institute and directs the Neuroepigenetics Laboratory . Education: PhD in Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University (2009) BA in Biology, University of Pennsylvania (2002) Stuyvesant High School (1998) Dr. Heller's research focuses on the epigenetic mechanisms underlying addiction, depression, and stress-related disorders. Her lab employs epigenetic editing tools (e.g., CRISPR/dCas9, zinc-finger proteins) to manipulate histone and DNA modifications at specific genes in vivo, investigating their causal roles in neuronal function and behavior. Key areas include alternative splicing , chromatin remodeling , and long-lasting effects of stress and drugs on neural circuitry. Recent publications highlight her work on sex-specific stress vulnerabilities , neuroepigenetic editing for therapeutic intervention , and computational models like MousiPLIER for pathway analysis. Her studies integrate high-throughput sequencing and behavioral assays to uncover gene-environment interactions. Grants and Collaborations: Dr. Heller has received funding for projects on epigenetic therapies and stress resilience , collaborating with institutions on neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases . Labs and Teams: The Neuroepigenetics Laboratory trains graduate students and research specialists , with affiliations to interdisciplinary programs like CAMB and NGG . The lab emphasizes innovative methodologies , including stereotaxic surgery and single-sample sequencing .
Rajan Jain , MD, is the William Wikoff Smith Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Research at the University of Pennsylvania , affiliated with the Perelman School of Medicine and the Department of Medicine . With a dual background in cardiology and developmental biology, his lab investigates how 3D genome organization governs cardiac cell identity and disease. Key Research Areas: 3D chromatin spatial positioning in cardiomyocytes Pathogenic LMNA variants in laminopathies BET protein regulation of genome folding (BRD4-GATA4 axis) Cellular plasticity mechanisms in transdifferentiation Collaborations: Joyce Lab (3D Genomics) Lakadamyali Lab (Imaging) Raj Lab (Cell Plasticity) 4D Nucleome Consortium Scientific Awards: NIH New Innovator Award (DP2HL147123) NHLBI R01 Grant (HL139783) Transformative Research Award (R01GM137425) The lab employs genome-wide CRISPR screens , mouse/human iPSC models , and high-resolution imaging to decode spatial genome rules. Their work has redefined understanding of lamin-associated domains in cardiac development and BRD4 's role in cohesin stability.
Mia Levine is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania in the School of Arts and Sciences , where she leads the Levine Lab at the Penn Epigenetics Institute and Penn Center for Genome Integrity . Her research bridges evolutionary genetics, genomics, and cell biology to explore chromatin protein evolution and its impact on genome stability. Education: Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis (2009) Levine investigates how essential chromatin proteins—despite their critical roles in chromosome segregation and telomere integrity—are subject to rapid evolutionary change. Her work focuses on molecular mechanisms of innovation, including de novo gene birth and gene duplication , particularly in Drosophila systems. She examines adaptive responses in chromatin-remodeling factors, such as the Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1) family, and how these proteins mediate genome defense across environmental gradients. The Levine Lab has pioneered studies on the paradox of conserved nuclear processes relying on unconserved molecular machinery. Her team’s work on the Dosage Compensation Complex (DCC) and HP1 gene family reveals lineage-specific adaptations and functional diversification. Recent publications highlight cross-species genomic conflicts, telomere inheritance mechanisms, and the role of chromatin in environmental adaptation. Her research has implications for understanding evolutionary constraints on essential biological functions and the dynamics of intra-genomic conflict. Collaborations with the Penn Center for Genome Integrity underscore her focus on genome stability.
