T. Liu Lab
Bacteria and archaea are the most abundant organisms on Earth, but they are outnumbered approximately 10-to-1 by their viruses, called phages. As a result, microbes have evolved diverse strategies to defend against infection by phages and other mobile genetic elements. A notable example of these are CRISPR-Cas systems, which are prokaryotic RNA-guided adaptive immune systems found widely in bacteria and archaea. We aim to understand the diverse mechanisms by which CRISPR-Cas systems enable their hosts to defend against invaders, and apply these insights to design and engineer new tools for nucleic acid sensing, diagnostics, and other applications in health and medicine.
Read More › about Congratulations Charley Baker - poster award winner at the Molecular Biosciences Graduate Student Organization (MBGSO) symposium