As a part of my graduate training in chemical biology and single-molecule biophysics, I resolved the mechanism-of-action and turnover principles of gene regulatory microRNAs at unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. I combined these skills with training in molecular biology, cell biology and cancer biology to decode the regulatory function and translational potential of small and long non-coding RNAs in DNA damage response and prostate cancer during my postdoctoral fellowship. Leveraging this interdisciplinary training, I made two important discoveries as an independent research investigator – 1) subcellular membrane-less compartments, called biomolecular condensates, are integral components of the cellular stress response and RNA regulation and 2) cellular heterogeneity contributes to distinct cellular decisions in viral infections, stress response and prostate cancer. Building on these findings, my lab seeks to dissect the link between sub-cellular organization, gene regulation and cell signaling in cellular homeostasis and cell fate decisions in health and disease. To address these critical points in stress biology, we use an arsenal of cutting-edge technologies, including single-molecule imaging, super-resolution microscopy, high-throughput imaging, single-cell sequencing, and spatial omics, and combine them with classical approaches.

Since starting my lab in July 2021, my group has discovered that stress response pathways are hyperactive in numerous cancers, including pediatric osteosarcoma and advanced prostate cancer, and represent therapeutically actionable vulnerabilities. On the other hand, we have found that stress response programs are dampened during aging and in neurodegenerative diseases, wherein activating these programs are valuable. My lab working towards understanding foundational mechanisms of stress response and how these programs are disrupted in cancers and degenerative pathologies, whilst working towards identifying methods of therapeutic interventions and accompanying diagnostics.

The long-term goal of my research program is to understand how mammalian cells respond and adapt to stress and how regulation, aberrations and misappropriation of these foundational processes influence tissue homeostasis, degenerative diseases, and cancer. The ultimate aim is to translate our findings for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. To this end, we use contemporary imaging- and omics-based technologies that we develop and deploy and combine them with classical biochemical and biophysical tools.

Keywords: Stress response and adaptation, Regulation of gene expression, Degenerative diseases, Cancer biology, Single-cell analysis, Single-molecule imaging