Other Labs

The following laboratories use or have used zebrafish in collaboration with one of the zebrafish groups at Brown.

 

The laboratory of Dr. Rachel Altura

Department of Pediatrics *
The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University

* Dr. Altura is currently at Oncology Early Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey

Our laboratory is exploring novel anti-cancer treatments for pediatric and adult malignancies. We are also interested in the toxicities of chemotherapy and on whether mutations in specific genes make children more prone to develop toxicity after chemotherapy treatment.

People in the Altura Lab who use / have used zebrafish as a model system:

  • Rachel Altura (PI)
  • Mike Holloway (Assistant Professor)
  • Bradley Denardo (Postdoc)
  • Kevin Nguyen (Undergraduate Student)
  • Colby Davis (Undergraduate Student)
  • Isabela Souza (Undergraduate Student)

Zebrafish publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/npjgenmed201616

 

The laboratory of Dr. Richard Bennett

Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
Brown University

My laboratory is interested in understanding the biology of the human pathogen Candida albicans. C. albicans is a yeast that grows in the human gastrointestinal tract and is usually harmless to humans. However, in some cases, Candida can cause localized infections in healthy individuals and even life-threatening systemic (bloodstream) infections in immunocompromised individuals. The focus of the laboratory is to understand how Candida acts as a pathogen in humans.

Link to faculty profile: http://research.brown.edu/myresearch/Richard_Bennett
Link to Bennett laboratory: http://biomed.brown.edu/labs/bennett/

People in the Bennett Lab who use / have used zebrafish as a model system:

  • Richard Bennett (PI)
  • Emily Mallick (Graduate Student)

Zebrafish publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27303374/

 

The laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Brainerd

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Brown University

Professor Brainerd and her research group combine anatomical studies of the musculoskeletal system with principles and techniques from engineering to understand the mechanical basis of movement in animals. Current projects include: biomechanics of the temporomandibular joint, muscle architecture, intercostal muscle function, and the development of a new 3D imaging technology, X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology

Link to faculty profile: http://research.brown.edu/myresearch/Elizabeth_Brainerd
Link to Brainerd laboratory: http://www.brown.edu/Departments/EEB/brainerd_lab/

People in the Brainerd Lab who use / have used zebrafish as a model system:

  • Elizabeth Brainerd (PI)
  • Terry Dial (Graduate Student)
  • Tom Anzivino (URI summer intern)
  • Cally Harper (Graduate Student)

 

The laboratory of Dr. Will Fairbrother

Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry
Brown University

My lab studies RNA splicing. A third of all hereditary disease mutations affect RNA splicing. Using deep sequencing and array based synthesis, we are measuring the effects of thousands of mutations and SNPs on splicing, spliceosome assembly and RNA protein binding. In the lab there is a strong emphasis on developing hybrid approaches to science, combining genome analysis and computational biology with experimentation.

Link to faculty profile: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/wfairbro

People in the Fairbrother Lab who use / have used zebrafish as a model system:

  • Will Fairbrother (PI)
  • Chien-Ling Lin (Postdoc)

Zebrafish publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26566657/

 

The laboratory of Dr. Lazaros Kochilas

Department of Pediatrics *
Brown University Medical School

Areas of Interest: Genetic conditions with congenital heart disease (CHD), Management of single ventricle patients, Early detection of CHD by newborn screening, management of complex CHD, long term outcomes of patients with CHD

* Dr. Kochilas is currently at the Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia

Zebrafish publications in PubMed

 

The laboratory of Dr. Jill Kreiling

Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry
Brown University

There is a growing body of evidence that chromatin undergoes reorganization during normal aging. A corresponding change in gene expression also occurs during normal aging. It is reasonable to expect that these two processes may be connected. However, the epigenetic mechanisms of this extensive rearrangement of the chromatin are virtually unknown. My research focuses on identifying the mechanisms that regulate age-associated heterochromatin formation.

Jill Kreiling, PhD is the Associate Director of the Brown Center on the Biology of Aging. She is currently a Project Leader on the Stem Cells and Aging COBRE to study the relationship between changes in chromatin structure and expression of non-coding RNAs in the decline of the neural stem cell niche with age. In addition, she received an Alzheimer’s Disease administrative supplement to investigate changes in the contents of extracellular vesicle found in saliva of Alzheimer’s patients for biomarkers of the disease.

Link to faculty profile: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/jkreilin
Link to Aging Center: https://aging.brown.edu/about/meet-leaders

Zebrafish publications in Pubmed

 

The laboratory of Dr. Edith Mathiowitz

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Brown University

Research in our laboratory focuses on the polymer science-medicine interface. Areas of interest include development and modeling of novel drug delivery systems, particularly for the release of insulin and growth factors; designing small-diameter vascular grafts with better compliance; development of novel bioadhesive polymers for oral delivery systems; liquid crystals as smart sensors; the use of nanoparticles as novel therapeutic delivery systems (nanomedicine), tissue markings, DNA delivery.

Link to faculty profile: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/emathiow

People in the Oancea Lab who use / have used zebrafish as a model system:

  • Tyler Maxwell, Masters Student in the Biotechnology graduate program

Tyler used zebrafish larvae to examine microplastic pollution in the aquatic environment. This project will  be continued in collaboration with Bradley Wetherbee (URI), Jie Shen (URI), and Robbert Creton (Brown).

 

The laboratory of Dr. Elena Oancea

Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology & Biotechnology
Brown University

The focus of my laboratory is in understanding signal transduction events using fluorescent microscopy in living cells. My lab is equipped with a state-of-the-art two-color TIRF microscope, which we will use to study UV-induced pigmentation in human skin and melanoma behavior. To visualize signal transduction events, we design and generate novel fluorescent probes using molecular biology techniques, which give us a unique angle in answering biologically relevant questions.

Link to faculty profile: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/eoancea

People in the Oancea Lab who use / have used zebrafish as a model system:

  • Elena Oancea (PI)
  • Rana (Graduate Student)
  • Kirk (Graduate Student)
  • Iliana (Research Assistant)

Zebrafish publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29025994/

 

The Laboratory of Dr. Jason Sello

Department of Chemistry *
Brown University

* Dr. Sello is currently at UCSF, School of Pharmacy

Members of my research group and I have been investigating new approaches to antibacterial therapy and to biofuel production that are inspired by the unique metabolites and physiology of Streptomyces bacteria. A hallmark of my program has been the synergistic application of experimental methods from synthetic organic chemistry, molecular microbiology and biochemistry. Thematically, my research has been organized around potential solutions to challenges in human health and in energy.

People in the Sello Lab who use / have used zebrafish as a model system:

  • Amanda Dombroski (Graduate Student)

Zebrafish publications in Pubmed

 

The laboratory of Dr. Kristi Wharton

Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry
Brown University

The goal of the research in our laboratory is to understand how TGF-B signaling molecules facilitate the communication between cells. Cellular communication is essential to the proper manifestation of cell movements, growth, and differentiation during the development of multi-cellular organisms.

Link to faculty profile: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/kwharton

People in the Wharton Lab who use / have used zebrafish as a model system:

  • Kristi Wharton (PI)
  • Cathy Trebino (Research Assistant)
  • Eric Tung (Undergraduate Student)