About the Branch

The Genetics and Biochemistry Branch studies the genetics, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology that underlies organism function in both health and disease. Research in the branch covers a wide array of topics including mammalian meiotic recombination, protein secretion in bacteria, glial stress responses and metabolism, lipid biology, lysosomal storage diseases, neurodegenerative disease and genetic therapies.

Current Research

Current interests of the Branch include:

• The biochemistry, molecular, and cell biology of meiotic (homologous) recombination in mice and humans.
• Protein secretion in both pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria.
• Sphingolipid metabolism and its role in neurodegenerative diseases.
• The molecular and cellular biology underlying risk for neurodegenerative diseases.
• Glial stress responses and metabolic signaling in aging and disease.