Projects
Exploring how Changes in DNA sequence impact Protein function and disease
Understanding how changes in DNA sequence alter protein function can reveal how a protein works and can help better diagnose and treat disease. In the Fowler Lab, we combine cutting-edge genomic methods with computational analyses to measure the consequences of tens of thousands of DNA sequence alterations simultaneously. The resulting data enables us learn about protein structure and mechanism, as well as interpret variants found in the human genome
Investigating drivers of cellular phenotypic heterogeneity
The cells that make up organisms have diverse morphology and behavior, reflecting the different functions they serve. Moreover, apparently identical cells often have distinct internal states, arising from periodic processes like the cell cycle as well as stochastic variation. The Fowler lab develops imaging-based technologies to better understand how and why cells are different.
New tools for genome engineering
The ability to easily, rapidly and effectively alter the content of genomes is fundamental to experimental genomics. The Fowler lab develops approaches to genome engineering, including those based on recombinases and nucleases. In particular, we focus on better understanding the mechanism by which nucleases like Cas9 function inside cells. We leverage the approaches we develop to enable genome-scale assays for a variety of molecular and cellular phenomena.