Thomas Jefferson University · BiochemistryDebler Lab
Erik Debler · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Erik Debler's lab at Thomas Jefferson University studies a type of parasite called the African trypanosome, which causes serious diseases like sleeping sickness. The team focuses on understanding how this parasite regulates its genes using special enzymes that modify DNA. By uncovering these mechanisms, they hope to find new treatments for infections caused by these parasites, which affect millions of people worldwide.
African TrypanosomeChromatin BiologyGene RegulationEnzyme MechanismSleeping SicknessTrypanosomiasisEpigeneticsBiochemical PathwaysMethylationRNA Regulation
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how DOT1A recognizes nucleosomes and affects cell cycle control.
AIM 02Explore how RNaseH2 regulates DOT1A activity during transcription and DNA replication.
AIM 03Define the structural interaction between DOT1 enzymes and chromatin.
AIM 04Understand how DOT1A's activity is coordinated with the cell cycle in trypanosomes.
AIM 05Develop insights into potential drug therapies targeting DOT1 enzymes in trypanosome infections.
Skills the Lab Values
Cryoelectron MicroscopyCell CultureMolecular CloningFlow CytometryRNA SequencingBiochemical AssaysHistone Modification AnalysisProtein PurificationGenomic TechniquesIn Vivo Studies
Output against the department
Publications135bottom 39% of dept.247th of 402
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.5kbottom 10% of dept.361st of 402
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.