Dr. Saul A. Villeda's lab at UCSF focuses on understanding how factors in our blood can help improve cognitive function and regeneration in the aging brain. They study how exercise influences these blood factors and also explore potential therapies for age-related diseases like Alzheimer's. The ultimate goal is to identify ways to reverse cognitive decline and enhance brain function in older adults.

Dr. Ricki J. Colman's lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison focuses on understanding how specific dietary changes can promote healthy aging and combat age-related diseases, particularly obesity and diabetes. Through research involving dietary amino acids, the lab aims to discover new nutritional interventions that can help restore metabolic health in older populations. Their work has important implications for improving the healthspan of aging individuals.

Dr. Silvia Guglietta's lab focuses on understanding the role of the complement C3a receptor in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) and its effects on the intestinal barrier and the microbiome. By exploring the communication between immune cells and epithelial cells in the intestines, her research aims to uncover how inflammation contributes to CRC initiation and progression. This research holds promise for improving strategies for CRC prevention and treatment through a better understanding of immune system interactions.

Dr. Ken S. Lau's lab at Vanderbilt University focuses on understanding colorectal cancer (CRC) through innovative 3D mapping techniques. They work to explore how age affects the development of CRC, particularly looking into why more young people are being diagnosed. The lab combines advanced imaging and molecular analysis to create a comprehensive atlas that visualizes the progression of tumors from early-stage precancerous conditions to cancer. Their goal is to uncover crucial biological differences between CRC cases that arise at different ages to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes.

In Dr. Stephen H. Safe's lab at Texas A&M University, researchers focus on developing new treatments for colorectal cancer. They study a specific receptor, NR4A1, which is found in high levels in colon cancer patients and is linked to tumor growth and immune system suppression. By using innovative compounds known as CDIMs, the team aims to create drugs that can both fight cancer and help improve the immune response against tumors.

Dr. Katherine Loree Cook's lab at Wake Forest University Health Sciences focuses on understanding how diet and the gut microbiome interact to influence breast cancer risk, particularly in obese individuals. The lab investigates how metabolites produced by gut bacteria, such as hippurate, can signal through specific receptors to reduce tumor growth and improve treatment responses. Through preclinical models and clinical studies, the research aims to uncover novel strategies to link diet, microbiome health, and cancer prevention.

Dr. Max Dale Cooper's lab at Emory University studies a unique group of jawless fish called lampreys to better understand how our immune system evolved. The lab focuses on characterizing special immune cells and antibodies found in lampreys that might help us learn more about human diseases, including various cancers. By using advanced techniques like CRISPR and sequencing, they aim to uncover the complexities of adaptive immunity and develop novel diagnostic tools from lamprey antibodies.

Dr. Thomas A. Cooper's lab at Baylor College of Medicine studies myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), a serious muscle disorder that leads to progressive weakening of skeletal muscles. The lab focuses on understanding how specific genetic mutations disrupt normal muscle function and contribute to the disease. By exploring the roles of certain RNA-binding proteins in muscle development and their connection to the disease, the lab aims to uncover potential therapeutic targets to help manage or treat DM1.

Dr. Maria Czyzyk-Krzeska's lab focuses on understanding the role of copper metabolism in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), a common and aggressive type of kidney cancer. By investigating how copper accumulation affects tumor growth and metabolism, the lab aims to identify new therapeutic strategies and biomarkers to improve treatment outcomes for patients. Their research combines cell line models and patient-derived tumor grafts to uncover critical mechanisms in cancer progression.

Joseph Corbo's lab is focused on understanding and treating retinal degeneration, particularly retinitis pigmentosa, a common cause of blindness. The lab explores innovative therapies that knock out specific genes to prevent the degeneration of photoreceptors, which are essential for vision. By utilizing advanced techniques such as CRISPR and examining multiple animal models, the lab aims to develop strategies that might help a wide range of genetic forms of blindness.

Dr. David P. Corey’s lab at Harvard Medical School focuses on understanding and developing therapies for hearing and balance disorders. The lab works on innovative gene therapy techniques to treat hereditary deafness, specifically targeting genetic mutations that cause hearing loss. In addition, they study the fundamental processes of auditory transduction — how sound is converted into electrical signals in the ear, with the ultimate goal of improving treatments for patients with hearing impairments.

Dr. Stephania Cormier's research lab focuses on understanding how the immune system protects infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a leading cause of pneumonia in young children. They explore why infants often fail to produce effective immune responses, particularly the antibody IgA, which is crucial for defense against RSV. The lab uses advanced techniques to study immune cell responses in both human infants and neonatal mouse models, aiming to develop better vaccines and treatments for RSV.

Dr. Rajalekshmy Shyam's lab at the University of Iowa focuses on understanding Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD), a condition that causes vision loss and currently has no cure. By using a newly developed mouse model that exhibits FECD characteristics, the lab aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms that drive the disease's onset and progression. The ultimate goal is to identify potential therapies and promote corneal health.

Dr. Gordon J. Fishell's lab at Harvard Medical School focuses on understanding the development of cortical interneurons, specifically those expressing somatostatin (SST) and parvalbumin (PV). They aim to unravel how diverse these interneurons are and how genetic regulation and signals from neighboring cells shape their development and function, contributing to circuit formation in the brain. This research holds significance for understanding how disruptions in these processes can lead to brain diseases.

Dr. Jannelle Couret's lab focuses on understanding how Lyme disease is transmitted through complex interactions between ticks, the bacteria that cause the disease, and other microbes living in ticks. By studying these relationships, the lab aims to uncover how the tick microbiome influences the disease dynamics and the health risks associated with Lyme disease. This research is important as it provides insights that could help predict and manage Lyme disease outbreaks in humans.

Dr. Dongfang Liu's lab at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences focuses on how a small protein called Crk regulates immune cell functions, particularly in natural killer (NK) cells and T cells. The lab uses innovative techniques like live imaging and genetic models to study how Crk's phosphorylation acts as a switch that can either turn immune responses on or off. Their work has important implications for understanding and potentially treating immune deficiencies and cancers such as triple negative breast cancer.

Dr. Gay M. Crooks' research lab at UCLA focuses on understanding how T cells are developed in the thymus, an organ crucial for producing immune cells. The lab studies both the cellular processes and the genetic factors, like the BCL11B gene, that influence T cell development, especially from pluripotent stem cells. They also explore the role of lymphatic vasculature in the thymus during its early development, aiming to improve T cell immunotherapies for cancer treatment and enhance immune function.

Dr. Ron R. Kopito's lab is focused on understanding and improving therapies for cystic fibrosis, a serious genetic lung disease. They are particularly interested in how certain proteins are manipulated inside cells to aid their proper function. A major part of their research investigates the ways that cell mechanisms can fail to support these proteins, especially in cases where current treatments do not work.

Dr. Daniel C Devor's lab at the University of Pittsburgh focuses on understanding how therapies for cystic fibrosis (CF) work and their potential side effects. By studying the modulation of potassium channels affected by CF treatments, the lab aims to uncover how these medications can improve lung function while also addressing adverse events experienced by some patients, such as headaches and anxiety. This research could lead to better therapies for people with CF, enhancing their quality of life.

Dr. Jennifer Oyler-Yaniv's lab at Harvard Medical School studies how immune signals, specifically cytokines produced by T-cells, spread through tissues and influence immune responses. By exploring the limited range of these signals, the lab aims to understand how local differences in cytokine availability can lead to variations in gene expression and immune cell behavior. This research is important for developing better strategies for immunotherapy and other treatments that rely on understanding immune dynamics in complex environments.