Our lab utilizes a combination of structural biology, biochemistry, and cell biology to dissect the mechanisms of complex molecular machines. Research efforts are divided between two major areas: 1) the structure and function of mechanochemical GTPases and 2) investigating the mechanisms of bacterial defense systems, specifically those targeting modified DNA. Together these endeavors have important implications for human diseases such as centronuclear myopathy, Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease, and cholesterol trafficking disorders and also in the development of new therapeutic strategies for treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in humans and animals. We maintain a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to science and have partnered with investigators at Cornell and NIH to tackle challenging biological problems.
