Research Areas
Disease genetics
If we inherit an abnormal gene from our parents, some physiological function
guided by that gene might malfunction and cause a disease. Changes in our
genes that lead to disease might also occur during our lifetime. Identifying
these critical genes and figuring out how a mutation of them can disrupt
normal body processes is the study of disease genetics. Results from this
work are used to devise very specific treatments for disease.
Genomics and technology
With the completion of the Human Genome Project, scientists can use the
resulting technology and data to conduct powerful investigations into
gene function. For instance, with microarrays and gene chip, scientists
can find out which specific genes are active in a particular cell. With
new software, genomes of different organisms can be compared to infer
protein function. Using genomics, scientists are piecing together the
big picture of how organisms function.
Developmental genetics
From a fertilized egg cell to birth as a newborn baby, our genes dictate
our development. How do genes tell a tiny embryo to produce complex structures
such as limbs and spinal cords? The study of developmental genetics gives
us insights into the amazing process by which a fertilized egg becomes
a complete organism.
Gene decoding
Genes are the information carriers, or "parts list," but proteins
are the molecules that do all the work that makes us function. How is
a protein made from the information contained in a gene? The process is
not as simple as we once thought. In some cases, the normal translation
process produces proteins of unexpected size or composition. Scientists
are examinig the gene decoding process to understand what influences cause
such changes.
Population genetics
Moving from the "micro" level of genetics (directing cell function,
growth, and development) to the "macro" level, we see that our
genes make us similar to or different from each other. Inherited (or genetic)
characteristics such as height, hair color, and race are a few examples.
Each characteristic has many variations; hair color can be black, brown,
red, blonde, white, or gray, for example. Statistical analysis of such
variations is used to determine how they are passed from generation to
generation. Our researchers use population genetics to identify and track
variations that produce genetic diseases and to study historical issues
such as the evolution of humans.
