Research Categories - Biological Mechanisms and Pathways

The renowned and groundbreaking molecular and cellular biological studies at Harvard Medical School encompass diverse aspects of cell and viral function, employing a variety of model organisms. From disulfide bond formation in bacteria to large scale RNAi screening in Drosophila to systems biology studies, HMS investigators are investigating a wide array of biological phenomena, trying to uncover the complex cellular dynamics encoded for by cellular and viral genomes.

Related Investigators

  1. Walter Fontana, PhD

    Information biology: principles, limits, and evolution of information processing in molecular systems

    Develop, apply, and establish the concept of programs as models to represent, model, and analyze complex systems of molecular interactions underlying cellular behavior; empirically characterize and ...

  2. Jeremy Gunawardena, PhD

    Experimental and theoretical analysis of signal transduction: EGF signaling, drug efficacy, phosphorylation states, microfluidics, formalized biology language

    Investigate the dynamics of signal transduction, from a mechanistic and practical perspective. Describe at a fundamental level the input/output transformation that connects external signals to ...

  3. Jose Halperin, MD

    Targeting protein translation for anticancer therapies; CD59 and diabetes

    Employ the preclinical resources of the Laboratory for Translational Research to develop new therapies and diagnostics in oncology and diabetes

  4. Ed Harlow, PhD

    Molecular mechanisms of cell signaling and applications to cancer biology

    Global molecular screening studies to gain insights into the genetic regulation of cancer development and response of cancer cells to chemotherapy  

  5. Roberto Kolter, PhD

    Microbial physiology

    Explore gene expression, community behavior, and biochemical aspects of bacterial biofilms; investigate microbial genomics.  

  6. Galit Lahav, PhD

    The p53 tumor suppressor as a model for studying temporal dynamics of signaling networks

    Investigate protein dynamics at the single cell level; quantification of proteins in live cells using fluorescence microscopy and mathematical modeling; cellular decision-making in cancer and healthy ...

  7. Norbert Perrimon, PhD

    Modeling developmental processes and signaling pathways in Drosophila

    Use Drosophila as a model organism to explore basic biological mechanisms of development and cellular signaling, with a focus on muscle physiology.

  8. Roger Spealman, PhD

    CNS disorders: addiction; Parkinson’s disease

    Studies on the mechanisms and efficacy of psychoactive drugs  

  9. David Van Vactor, Jr, PhD

    Cell biology of neuronal connectivity: axon guidance; synapse; signaling mechanisms

    Studies on axon guidance and synapse formation in metazoans such as Drosophila that are in many cases directly relevant to mammalian cells.  

  10. Ulrich von Andrian, MD, PhD

    Adaptive immunity and leukocyte trafficking: lymphocyte activation; lymphatic system; intravital microscopy

    Study how immunological memory is produced through the orchestration of the adaptive immune response, including initiation, regulatory mechanisms, and immune cell homing to organs; harnessing of this ...