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Faculty and Areas of Research View by Area of Research
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Click on the faculty member's name to go to his or her current research summary and selected publications, or to the professor's information on our Emeriti faculty page.
Research in biochemistry and biophysics is focused on numerous processes central to understanding life. Several groups use biochemical and structural approaches to address the basic principles governing protein folding, function and biological recognition. Using in vitro approaches, the central steps in biological information transfer are being analyzed, from maintenance of the genome to protein synthesis, sorting and processing.
Among the processes being investigated: DNA replication, recombination and repair; transcription and gene regulation, RNA splicing; protein synthesis; chromosome segregation; cell motility and the cytoskeleton; the structural basis of protein-DNA and protein-protein recognition; protein folding, quality control and design; catalytic RNA; signal transduction and central nervous system function.
Faculty with research programs in biochemistry and biophysics:
Bioengineering is a discipline that develops new technology and materials or applies engineering principles toward understanding biological phenomenon. At the molecular level, bioengineers create new functions for proteins or RNA by designing strategies for selecting molecules with specific properties from a diverse population. Cellular engineers modify the properties of cells to manufacture new materials or sense the environment in new ways. The integration of cells into tissues and organs by matrix and signaling molecules is the focus of study by tissue engineers. Bioengineering also develops new tools such as microfabricated devices for high speed and high sensitivity analysis of DNA and proteins.
Faculty with research programs in bioengineering:
The biology of cancer is studied at MIT at many levels and in many organisms, ranging from the discovery of genes implicated in the development of cancer in humans to the elucidation of basic cell biological processes that are affected during tumorigenesis, which can be studied using human cells as well as model organisms.
Genetic approaches are central to the efforts of many laboratories studying aspects of tumor development, including the cloning of human oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, the generation of mutant mouse strains to study these and other cancer-associated genes, and the use of classical genetics to elucidate the components of growth control pathways in model organisms, such as Drosophila and C. elegans. These genetic approaches are complemented in the Department by biochemical and cell biological studies aimed at understanding the function of cancer genes; the details of proliferation, cell cycle and cell death pathways; the nature of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions; and mechanisms of DNA repair, replication, transcription and chromosome stability.
Faculty with research programs in cancer biology:
Cell biology is the study of processes carried out by individual cells such as cell division, organelle inheritance and biogenesis, signal transduction and motility. These processes are often affected by stimuli from the environment including nutrients, growth signals, and cell-cell contact. Single-celled organisms such as yeast, multicellular organisms such as Drosophila and mouse, established tissue culture lines, and, increasingly, primary cell cultures derived from recombinant animals such as mice are commonly used to study cell biological problems. Experimental approaches to the study of cell biological problems include genetics, microscopy, and reconstitution of cell biological events in cell-free systems.
Faculty with research programs in cell biology:
The goal of computational and systems biology is to apply large-scale numerical methods to the study of molecular, cellular and structural biology.
The release of the human genome sequence has focused attention on the increasing importance of computational and systems biology for the analysis of gene function. However, only a small fraction of the information generated in modern biology labs has been subjected to systematic computational analysis. Thus, the future of systems biology lies not only in improved methods to study sequence information but also in the development of entirely new approaches to the numerical analysis of proteins, cells and organisms.
Research groups in the MIT Department of Biology are working on a wide range of computational problems including gene finding and analysis, structure predication and protein design, network-based signal analysis and image informatics. These diverse programs are united in their focus on design and prediction, algorithm and database development and the use of advanced computing. Research in the Department is suitable for students with a biology background who are interested in computation as well as for students with computation and physical science training who are interested in biology.
Faculty with research programs in computational and systems biology:
The goal of developmental biologists is to understand how a single cell develops into a multicellular organism. This complex process requires that cells divide, differentiate, and assume their proper positions relative to one another. MIT's Biology Department is focused on understanding how genes direct these distinct processes and how the behavior of cells at the molecular level contributes to development.
Faculty use a diverse group of organisms to address the different aspects of development. These include the model organisms C. elegans, Drosophila, zebrafish, frogs, and mice. Some faculty study human development through analysis of human genetic diseases. Yet other faculty use yeast and bacteria to study gene expression, signal transduction, and other aspects of cell biology that are relevant to understanding development at the genetic, molecular, and cellular levels.
Faculty with research programs in developmental biology:
Research in genetics in this department employs a variety of organisms, ranging in complexity from bacteriophage to humans. Several groups are studying the process of transmission of genes by analyzing DNA replication, DNA repair, chromosome segregation and cell division.
The use of genetics to identify regulatory genes and to define biological mechanisms is a crucial tool in unraveling a myriad of biological problems. Among the processes being investigated via genetics by members of this department are aging, human genetic diseases, human spermatogenesis, cell death, neurobiology, developmental biology, protein processing and secretion, the cytoskeleton and cell architecture, and plant-bacterial communication.
Faculty with research programs in genetics:
The challenges at the exciting frontier of human genetics are many. The sequencing of the human and mouse genomes facilitates research on several fronts. Our department is involved in the identification of genes involved in the etiology of numerous human diseases and cancers, and fundamental issues of developmental biology, such as aging and sex-determination.
Studies on the function of key genes, both at a molecular level and in an organismal context, are high priority. Among the approaches used in these studies are genetic and biochemical characterization of relevant gene products, and the use of model systems, such as mice and lower eukaryotes. Further, the field of genomics will allow us to address broad questions in genome organization, molecular evolution, and how genes interact to yield complex traits.
Faculty with research programs in human genetics:
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Leonard P. Guarente David E. Housman |
Eric Lander David C. Page |
Aviv Regev Leona Samson |
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The immune system consists of diverse cell types which collaborate to eliminate infections by a large number of pathogens. This elaborate collaboration involves macrophage, B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes. Macrophages provide a first line of defense by engulfing, digesting, and presenting peptides derived from pathogens to the lymphocytes. B and T cells which are capable of recognizing specific antigens become stimulated to divide and respond to the pathogen. The B cells respond by producing antibodies and the T cells respond by controlling the immune response and killing infected cells. The molecular mechanisms involved in the specificity of the response and in the control of the cellular collaboration are highly complex and interesting, and are the focus of multiple studies in our department.
Biochemical, genetic, structural, and cellular biological approaches are being used to study a wide range of problems in immunology. The topics under investigation include the nature of the cells which are destined to differentiate into B and T lymphocytes, the regulation of gene expression in macrophage and lymphocytes during the response to infection, the process of DNA rearrangement which generates diversity in the antibody and T cell receptor repertoire, the interactions of the immunoglobulin and T cell receptor molecules with their ligands, and the signal transduction events which are integral to the functions of lymphocytes and the regulation of the immune response.
Faculty with research programs in immunology:
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Tania A. Baker Jianzhu Chen Herman Eisen Dennis H. Kim |
Monty Krieger Hidde Ploegh Aviv Regev Jeroen Saeij |
Lisa A. Steiner Susumu Tonegawa Richard Young |
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Microbiology research within the Department of Biology covers a wide range of topics. Some of this research exploits the sophisticated genetic, molecular biological, and biochemical systems available for microorganisms, to gain high-resolution insights into fundamental processes necessary for life and to manipulate microorganisms to achieve particular desired ends. Other components of this microbiological research in the department focus on understanding how aspects of microbial life cycle and life style permit them to survive their particular biological niches and to interact with their environment.
Research topics include: DNA replication; DNA repair and mutagenesis; mechanisms of transcription and translation; mechanisms of signal transduction, cell cycle, and cell-cell signaling; protein structure and function; protein folding and degradation; molecular chaperones; protein secretion; polysaccharide structure and function; microbial development; control of cell morphology and division; microbial interactions with eukaryotic hosts (symbiosis and pathogenesis); microbial ecology; metabolic engineering.
See also MIT's new interdepartmental, interdisciplinary program in Microbiology.
Faculty with research programs in microbiology:
The application of the power of molecular genetics to the problems of human disease plays an important role in many of the research programs in the Department of Biology. The range of disease areas which are actively studied includes cancer, atherosclerosis and heart disease, neuromuscular diseases, as well as diseases affecting many other specific organ systems.
Several complementary approaches are used by our research groups. The power of genomic analysis is used to identify, isolate and characterize genes which cause and contribute to the etiology of human diseases. Human disease is also studied through the functional analysis of key genes: low density lipoprotein receptors in atherosclerosis and stroke; a broad spectrum of tumor suppressors and oncogenes in cancer, genes directly leading to the disease etiology in neuromuscular disorders such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's disease, and muscular dystrophies.
The mechanisms of underlying genetic causes of developmental defects are studied through the close comparison of human genetic pathways and those in model organisms, particularly the mouse. The study of defects in sexual development in humans and mice is a particularly clear example of this approach to the problem. Assay systems using cells from affected patients provide a powerful approach to a broad range of studies on gene-function-pathology relationships for the spectrum of diseases under study.
Faculty with research programs in molecular medicine and human disease:
Biology's efforts in neurobiology are geared towards understanding how the remarkable diversity in neuronal cell types and their connections are established and how changes in neurons and their connections underlie learning and thinking. A number of groups are identifying and characterizing genes involved in specifying neuronal cell fate in vertebrates and invertebrates. Others are analyzing molecules involved in guiding axons to their correct targets. Additionally, efforts are underway to understand the physiological and biochemical changes in neurons that are involved in learning and memory, and the changes underlying neuropathology.
Faculty with research programs in neurobiology:
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Martha Constantine-Paton H. Robert Horvitz Rudolf Jaenisch Susan L. Lindquist |
J. Troy Littleton Elly Nedivi William Quinn Peter Reddien |
Hazel Sive Susumu Tonegawa Matthew Wilson |
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Structural biology seeks to provide a complete and coherent picture of biological phenomena at the molecular and atomic level. The goals of structural biology include developing a comprehensive understanding of the molecular shapes and forms embraced by biological macromolecules and extending this knowledge to understand how different molecular architectures are used to perform the chemical reactions that are central to life.
In addition, structural biologists are interested in understanding related processes such as protein folding, protein dynamics, molecular modeling, drug design, and computational biology. Central tools used in this research include X-ray diffraction, NMR, electron microscopy, other spectroscopies and biophysical methods, protein expression, bio-physical and bio-organic chemistry, computer science and bioengineering.
Structural research at MIT includes groups focusing on: modular signaling domains and protein-protein interactions; coiled-coil structure, function, and design; structure of Z-DNA, RNA, and protein-nucleic acid complexes; molecular chaperones that fold and unfold proteins; G-protein mediated signal transduction; and ab initio protein design.
Faculty with research programs in structural biology:
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Tania A. Baker David P. Bartel Iain Cheeseman Catherine Drennan |
Barbara Imperiali Amy Keating Alexander Rich |
Robert T. Sauer Leona Samson Thomas Schwartz Michael B. Yaffe |
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