University of Colorado School of Medicine
Protein turnover and spatiotemporal dynamics in health and disease
We are interested in the regulation and function of protein turnover, homeostasis, and secretion in development, senescence, and diseases. Our work leverages advances in proteomics, bioinformatics, and human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models. Two current areas of focus are:
What is the role of protein turnover and homeostasis during cell fate transitions?
Our lab develops analytical and computational methods that can measure the individual turnover rates and half-life of thousands of protein species in complex systems. These techniques have been used to reveal changes in protein synthesis and degradation in animal models and discover new disease signatures. A current focus is to understand the regulation and function of protein quality control and proteolysis during cellular differentiation, stress, and senescence in iPSC systems.How do cells in the body communicate through secreted RNAs and proteins?
In recent work, we have mapped secreted non-coding RNAs from multiple cell types derived from human iPSCs (cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts) that may function in intercellular communications and that may be harnessed as a quantitative metric to assess the differentiation status and purity of hPSC-derived cardiac cells. In ongoing work, we are leveraging this approach to model the longitudinal changes in cellular communication networks under stress and disease using a combination of computational modeling and proteomics strategies.Work in the laboratory is supported by funding from an NIH/NHLBI R00 award, NIH/OD R03 award, as well as the University of Colorado Consortium for Fibrosis Research & Translation.
Edward is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He completed his PhD at UCLA and postdoctoral work in Joseph Wu’s lab at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. He has published over 50 papers in areas related to proteomics, cardiovascular, and stem cell research. His work has been supported by external funding including an AHA Predoctoral Fellowship, an NIH F32 Fellowship, and NHLBI K99/R00 award.
Mike is a PhD Student at the University of Colorado in the CSD Program. He received his B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Data Science from Maryville University of Saint Louis. Mike is currently improving protein Isoform prediction and identification throughout various stages of differentiation in induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes from long read RNA-Seq data.
Logan is a masters’ student at the University of Colorado Modern Human Anatomy program. He is concurrently serving as the Director of Student Affairs for the Student Senate and as a Chapter Lead for Clear Direction Mentorship. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a Minor in Chemistry from North Dakota State University.
Veronica is a master's student from Ecuador at the University of Colorado BSBT-GEN. She received her BSc. with a major in Biotechnology from Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas, a Specialization in Environmental Law from Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja, and an MBA focused on Integrated Management of Quality, Security, and Environment from Universidad del Mar.
Current Position: PhD Student at CU Anschutz Integrated Physiology
Current Position: PhD Student at CU Anschutz Bioengineering
New collaboration paper on "Harmonizing Labeling and Analytical Strategies to Obtain Protein Turnover Rates in Intact Adult Animals"
In a new mini-review/perspective article, we analyzed public human data to estimate the number of cardiokines that may be affected by aging
A new publication on Software Impact describes the current version of JCAST.
A new study from our lab shows a computational workflow to prioritize useful RNA-seq signatures by considering how well they predict protein changes.
Different types of cells in the heart release multiple non-coding RNAs inside extracellular vesicles
We are looking for post-doctoral, post-baccalaureate, and undergraduate researchers to join our team!
Protocol to extract biomolecules from cryopreserved hiPSC vials published in Current Protocol.
