Dr. Gu [Fraternal Order of Eagles Fellow] is deciphering the combinatorial code of mammalian transcription regulation. The precise and robust regulation of gene expression is typically achieved through a combination of multiple transcription factors. However, we lack understanding of how a mammalian transcription system perceives, processes, and presents combinations of transcription factors. Dr. Gu will combine quantitative modeling and synthetic approaches to analyze the complex interactions among natural transcription regulatory proteins and apply the principles learned to engineer a programmable transcriptional platform with tunable logic. This work promises to deepen our understanding of mammalian transcription regulation and unlock new capabilities for emerging cell-based therapeutics.

Dr. Squyres [National Mah Jongg League Fellow] is using quantitative microscopy and cell biology approaches to study how bacteria in biofilms coordinate their behavior in space and time. Biofilms are dense, multicellular communities of bacteria embedded in an extracellular matrix. Biofilms often form during bacterial infections, resulting in infections that are difficult to treat and resist antibiotics; cancer patients are at particular risk for these types of infections. Dr. Squyres is currently investigating how the release of extracellular DNA, a key component of the biofilm matrix, is coordinated during biofilm development. Greater understanding of how bacteria function in biofilms can lead to new approaches to target these treatment-resistant infections.

Dr. Cissé [Merck Fellow] aims to define the functional importance of nutrient sensing within the tumor microenvironment. How cells sense and adapt to the availability of nutrients in their environment is incompletely understood, but one key pathway is the signaling system anchored by the mTORC1 kinase. The mTORC1 kinase regulates cell growth and metabolism in response to nutrients such as amino acids and glucose. Aberrant mTORC1 signaling is implicated in several cancers, including melanoma, known to be heavily influenced by factors in the microenvironment such as nutrient availability. Dr. Cissé aims to understand how tumor metabolism senses and responds to varying nutrient levels, which will be essential for developing novel therapeutic targets.

Dr. Cote is exploring embryonic development to better understand how cells cooperate and build complex tissues. Since cancer cells often erroneously redeploy developmental programs and behaviors, her research into how neighboring cells align will yield insights into how cancerous cells metastasize and invade other tissues. Dr. Cote is combining tissue-specific genetic manipulations and laser cell ablations with live imaging during Caenorhabditis elegans digestive tract development to reveal how intracellular organization in one cell type can influence the alignment, polarity, and function of cells in the neighboring tissues.