James Ferrell

The Brandman Lab studies how cells sense and respond to stress. We employ an integrated set of techniques including single cell analysis, mathematical modeling, genomics, structural studies, and in vitro assays.

Dr. Brown's research focuses on replacing humanity's most destructive invention - the use of animals as a food technology - by developing a new and better way to produce the world's most delicious, nutritious and affordable meats, fish and dairy foods directly from plants. He is also working on developing and scaling optimal methods for restoring healthy ecosystems and sequestering carbon on the 45% of Earth's surface that have been devastated by animal agriculture.

Our lab studies the molecular basis of longevity. We are interested in the mechanism of action of known longevity genes, including FOXO and SIRT, in the mammalian nervous system. We are particularly interested in the role of these longevity genes in neural stem cells. We are also discovering novel genes and processes involved in aging using two short-lived model systems, the invertebrate C. elegans and an extremely short-lived vertebrate, the African killifish N. furzeri.

Molecular mechanisms of intestinal cell growth control; function and regulation of the Src family of tyrosine kinases in normal cells, and their deregulation in cancer cells.

Genomic instability contributes to many diseases, but it also underlies many natural processes. The Cimprich lab is focused on understanding how mammalian cells maintain genomic stability in the context of DNA replication stress and DNA damage. We are interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying the cellular response to replication stress and DNA damage as well as the links between DNA damage and replication stress to human disease.

Chromatin regulation and its roles in human cancer and the development of the nervous system. Engineering new methods for studying and controlling chromatin and epigenetic regulation in living cells.

Regulation of self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation in adult stem cell lineages. Developmental tumor suppressor mechanisms and regulation of the switch from proliferation to differentiation. Cell type specific transcription machinery and regulation of cell differentiation. Developmental regulation of cell cycle progression during male meiosis.

Cell cycle and cyclin control of DNA replication .

Our laboratory use state-of-the-art cell biological, genetic and systems-level approaches to understand how proteins are correctly synthesized, folded and assembled in the mammalian secretory pathway, how errors in this process are detected and how abnormal proteins are destroyed by the ubiquitin-proteasome system.

Our lab applies biochemical and engineering principles to the development of protein-based tools for investigating biology in living animals. Topics of investigation include fluorescent protein-based voltage indicators, synthetic light-controllable proteins, bioluminescent reporters, and applications to studying animal models of disease.