Developing approaches for DNA + RNA + Protein co-Detection:

I am deeply interested in developing the next generation of molecular techniques for nucleotide visualization. Currently developing COLOR: a molecular approach for the one-step, multiplex, single-cell imaging of DNA, RNA and Protein in fixed tissue.

Through technique development I hope to empower the study of enhancer-promoter interactions and their direct effect on expression: expanding our understanding of gene regulatory networks in development and disease.

In situ molecular approaches remain a powerful method for the study and quantification of nucleotides and their associated funcitons: however poor optimization can limit their potential impact. 

By analyzing the physical dynamics of fluorescent amplification and probe binding via Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy, I hope to generate a robust in vitro system for the high-throughput optimization of FISH-based techniques.

My current project involves the assessment and identification of novel regulatory elements in heart development using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model system. Through a combination of reverse genetics and tissue-specific omics I hope to dissect the regulatory landscape of hand2 expression, and asses the combined spatiotemporal dynamics of identified gene regulatory elements as critical mediators of development.