NESS 2025 Harvard Medical School Lab Tours

Friday, March 28, 2025

Please read through the lab descriptions below and rank your top 6 choices for tours on the link provided. We will make every effort to match you to the labs of your choice, however we might not be able to accommodate all requests.

1. Paulsson Lab, Department of Systems Biology

• Life in single cells is dictated by chance: reactions that involve small numbers of molecules generate spontaneous fluctuations that then enslave all dependent processes. Such ‘noise’ can randomize developmental pathways, disrupt cell cycle control or force metabolites away from their optimal levels. It can also be exploited when heterogeneity is advantageous, or even to obtain more reliable and deterministic control. The goal of the laboratory is to identify and understand the guiding principles behind these different phenomena. To this end we derive mathematical methods to interpret fluctuations, develop experimental methods to count molecules in single cells, and combine the two to study the simplest natural and engineered networks. Different applications may use different organisms, but E. coli is the first choice.

2. Megason Lab, Department of Systems Biology

• The Megason lab studies embryonic development: the process of developing from a single-celled embryo into a fully formed animal. In particular, we seek to understand the design principles nature uses to precisely program tissue pattern and shape. The lab uses systems biology in zebrafish to determine the real control systems that orchestrate embryonic development. They use computational modeling to build models of how cellular automata can interact to build patterns and shapes. They use synthetic approaches to test the models in real life. Their goal is to elucidate the set of design principles underlying growth and form.

3. Gygi lab, Department of Cell Biology

• The Gygi lab is interested in developing and applying new technologies in the fields of mass spectrometry and proteomics. At the heart of all aspects of the lab is protein sequencing by mass spectrometry. Simplified greatly, a tandem mass spectrometer can "sequence" a peptide ion by first measuring the mass of the peptide and then selectively isolating and gently fragmenting that peptide at peptide bonds followed by mass measurement of the fragment ions. The Gygi lab is constantly driving to improve acquisition efficiency and methodological robustness to ensure that we generate the highest-quality data possible.

4. Tabin Lab, Department of Genetics

• The Tabin lab studies the genetic basis by which form and structure are regulated, both during embryonic development to produce the exquisite morphology of the vertebrate embryo and over evolutionary time to generate the extraordinary and beautiful diversity of animal forms on this planet. In our developmental studies we combine classical methods of experimental embryology with modern molecular, imaging, genetic and genomic techniques for interrogating and testing gene function. In our evolutionary work we have addressed questions of morphological, behavioral and metabolic evolution in a variety of species using both developmental and genetic approaches.

5. Sinclair Lab, Department of Genetics

▪ The Sinclair lab is driven by the belief that humanity can do better and that everyone has the right to the best medical care and maximum lifespan, no matter their gender, social status, or age. Work by the lab and others has shown that the pace of aging is not inexorable or predetermined, but rather can be slowed and even reversed by a variety of approaches. These include activating the body’s defenses against aging, deleting senescent cells, and reprogramming cells in vivo. In doing so, we can protect the body against and treat both rare and common diseases including mitochondrial diseases, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

6. Cepko Lab, Department of Genetics

▪ The mechanisms that cells use when they choose their fate during development of the central nervous system is the main problem under study in the Cepko laboratory. The lab has focused their studies on the retina, a tractable model for the rest of the central nervous system. In addition, they are interested in why photoreceptor cells die in the many forms of retinal degeneration, and are developing a gene therapy that prevents their death and the subsequent loss of vision. They also enjoy developing new technologies that enable these studies as well as others.

7. MicRoN

• The Microscopy Resources (MicRoN) is a non-traditional decentralized or "floating" microscopy core. MicRoN offers dedicated PhD level microscopy expertise. The staff is focused on improving image-based science performed by all our trainees by educating and supporting everyone working with us through the entire imaging workflow. We believe approachability, flexibility and accessibility are key to improving the adoption of advanced microscopy technology.