Chandra Tucker’s Lab at the University of Colorado School of Medicine is developing new approaches to probe and control the dynamic cell. Our research repurposes plant photoreceptors to engineer bioinspired precision research tools. As one application of our research, we are studying ways to protect from toxic protein misfolding associated with neurodegenerative disease.
The Tucker Lab
Optogenetics
We create and design new switchable proteins that sense and respond to light. We have developed methods using light to regulate numerous biological processes including transcription, DNA recombination, and cell death.
Biomolecular condensates and clustering tools
Biomolecular condensates and other clustered protein hubs are important for mediating numerous signaling, metabolic, and other cellular processes, and can go awry in a variety of diseases, including neurodegenerative disease and cancer. We are developing a suite of tools for control of protein condensate states and protein clustering, allowing better understanding of how disordered protein assemblies contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.
Neuroscience Tools
We are working with neuroscientists to develop optogenetic tools to acutely probe and perturb regions of the brain. These tools include light-activated Cre recombinases and a light-controlled Botulinum neurotoxin protease, allowing user-dependent control of genetic editing and neuronal signaling.