Kenneth Campellone, Ph.D.
Mentor
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Research goals in the Campellone Lab are to determine (1) how the actin cytoskeleton controls the organization, shape, and movement of cells and their internal components; (2) how cytoskeletal remodeling is altered by pathogenic microbes and genetic mutations; and (3) how cytoskeletal functions affect biological aging. In the lab, we study cytoskeletal activities in healthy cells, in cancer cells undergoing apoptosis, in inherited disorders involving defective autophagy, and in the cellular hallmarks of aging including senescence. Our experiments are aimed at understanding basic biological mechanisms that can be translated into clinical advances in the future. A RaMP project would be tailored to the collective research interests of the lab and the student, and would utilize modern experimental approaches in functional genomics, fluorescence microscopy, protein biochemistry, or transcriptomics.
