Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology

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Biochemical Mechanisms

What are Biochemical Mechanisms?

Research into biochemical mechanisms focuses on understanding the functions of a cell at the molecular level, and how changes to the building blocks that make up cells lead to human disease.

What is the impact of our research in Biochemical Mechanisms?

A new pathway for treating autoimmune diseases is heading towards clinical trials thanks to research that began in our department. Find out more from the Thompson Lab.
The molecular bases of two rare diseases (the DNA repair disorder “PARD” and a form of severe congenital neutropenia) were discovered in our department. Find out more from the Kelch Lab and here in the Munson Lab.
The molecular and genetic mechanisms that define how antibiotics kill bacteria are being elucidated in our department, holding promise for the development of next-generation anti-bacterial medication. Find out more here.

Who's studying Biochemical Mechanisms?

Daniel Bolon , PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Computational Biochemistry

Category: CLIM/Ldb cofactors,disease prevention

Research Interest: The Bolon Lab investigates relationships between protein sequence, structure and function.

Broader Impact: COVID-19, cancer, HIV

Office Location: LRB 922
Lab Location: LRB 960 E-D
Phone: 508-856-3588

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Josué Flores Kim , PhD

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology.

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Gene Expression & Epigenetics

Research Interest: The Flores Kim lab studies how bacteria build their cell envelopes and how antimicrobials disrupt these processes.

Key Words: bacterial cell envelope; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic tolerance

Research Tools: We use a combination of classical, modern and chemical genetic screens with biochemical and high-resolution imaging analyses.

Broader Impact: drug resistant and tolerant bacterial infections

he/him/his
Office Location: LRB 915
Lab Location: LRB 970 U
Phone: 508-856-6260

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Julia Flynn , PhD

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology; Member of the Bolon Lab.

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Computational Biochemistry

Research Interest: Dr. Flynn investigates how changes in DNA sequence impact protein function.

Key Words: drug resistance, protein adaptation, protein folding, evolution, mutagenesis, deep mutational scanning

Research Tools: S. cerevisiae (yeast)

Broader Impact: cancer, SARS-CoV2

she/her/hers
Lab Location: LRB 960 D
Phone: 508-856-4418
Gang Han , PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Han lab uses a multidisciplinary approach to develop nanomaterials for use in chemistry and biology research and in drug delivery.

Office Location: LRB 806
Lab Location: LRB 870 U
Phone: 508-856-3297

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Anthony Imbalzano , PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology; Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the Morningside Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences; Associate Dean in the Office for Postdoctoral Scholars

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Gene Expression & Epigenetics

Research Interest: The Imbalzano Lab studies the role of chromatin remodeling in cell fate specification and maintenance.

Key Words: Chromatin remodeling, gene expression, development, cancer, mesenchymal cells, myogenesis, adipogenesis

Research Tools: Cell Culture, M. musculus (mouse)

Broader Impact: Breast Cancer

he/him/his
Office Location: LRB 813
Lab Location: LRB 870 H
Phone: 508-856-1029

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Brian Kelch , PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Cellular Biochemistry

Research Interest: The Kelch Lab utilizes structural biology and biochemistry to reveal the workings of large macromolecular complexes, with a special focus on those involved in DNA replication/repair and virus assembly.

Research Tools: E. coli (bacteria), S. cerevisiae (yeast), T. thermophilus (bacteria), H. sapiens (human)

Broader Impact: cancer, PARD, infectious disease

he/him/his
Office Location: LRB 923
Lab Location: LRB 970 H-G
Phone: 508-856-8322

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William R. Kobertz , PhD

Professor Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Kobertz Lab develops new tools to study the roles of glycosylation in ion channel localization and function.

Broader Impact: Cardiac arrythmias, hearing loss

Office Location: LRB 804
Lab Location: LRB 840 C
Phone: 508-856-8861

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Nese Kurt Yilmaz , PhD

Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Computational Biochemistry

Research Interest: Biological function, enzyme inhibition and drug resistance.

Key Words: protein structure, biomolecular complexes, conformational dynamics, enzyme inhibition

Research Tools: viral proteases, deaminases, renalase

Broader Impact: Viral infections (HIV-1, HCV, coronaviruses, influence, dengue), cancer, type I diabetes

Office Location: LRB 919
Phone: 508-856-1867

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Francesca Massi , PhD

Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Computational Biochemistry

Research Interest: The Massi lab uses their expertise in NMR Spectroscopy to understand the dynamics of protein-RNA interactions.

Office Location: LRB 925
Lab Location: LRB 960 B, 970 N
Phone: 508-856-4501

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Dannel McCollum , PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology; Vice Chair of Faculty Advancement for the Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology Department

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry

Research Interest: The McCollum Lab studies how cells sense mechanical forces through the Hippo pathway.

Key Words: Cancer, mechano-signaling, Hippo pathway, YAP/TAZ

Research Tools: Cell culture

Broader Impact: cancer, wound repair

Office Location: LRB 823
Lab Location: LRB 870 N
Phone: 508-856-8767

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Stephen Miller , PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Miller Lab develops optical imaging probes, ranging from the design of new fluorescent molecules to engineered luciferins and luciferases for in vivo bioluminescence imaging.

Key Words: bioluminescence, fluorescence, near-infrared, imaging, probes, chemical biology

Research Tools: fluorescence microscopy, synthetic organic chemistry, bioluminescence imaging, AAV transduction, mouse models, mammalian cell culture, spectrophotometry, NMR, mammalian cell culture, M. musculus (mouse)

Broader Impact: optical probes are broadly applicable to study many different diseases

he/him/his
Office Location: LRB 805
Lab Location: LRB 870 X
Phone: 508-856-8865

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Mary Munson , PhD

Professor and Vice Chair for Diversity, Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology; Associate Vice Provost for Equity in Science, Office of Health Equity; co-leader of the Investigator Career Advancement Program (iCAP); Co-investigator for the American Society for Cell Biology's MOSAIC Program; Co-chair of the ASCB’s Women in Cell Biology Committee (WICB); incoming ASCB President in 2025; Faculty Advisor, UMass Chan-SACNAS student chapter

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Cellular Biochemistry

Research Interest: The Munson lab studies vesicle trafficking machinery and how specificity in vesicle targeting and fusion is achieved.

Key Words: membrane trafficking, exocytosis, endocytosis, exocyst, VPS45, SNAREs, vesicle fusion, neutropenia

Research Tools: protein and membrane biochemistry, biophysics, cryoEM, yeast and mammalian cell biology, immunology, mouse models of disease

Broader Impact: immune dysfunction, cancer, neurological disorders

she/her/hers
Office Location: LRB 905
Lab Location: LRB 970 P, Q, R
Phone: 508-856-8318

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Peter Pryciak , PhD

Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Gene Expression & Epigenetics

Research Interest: Dr. Pryciak studies how protein kinases regulate cell signaling and the cell cycle.

Key Words: MAP kinases (MAPKs), cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), short linear motifs (SLiMs)

Research Tools: S. cerevisiae (yeast)

Office Location: LRB 822
Lab Location: LRB 870 P
Phone: 508-856-8756

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Sy Redding , PhD

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Gene Expression & Epigenetics

Research Interest: The Redding Lab seeks to discover general physical principles that affect how genetic information is organized and accessed.

Key Words: Chromatin organization, protein-DNA interactions, Epigenetics, single molecule biophysics, phase separation

Research Tools: single molecule techniques, TIRF microscopy, confocal microscopy.

he/him/his
Office Location: LRB 926
Lab Location: LRB 960 B
Phone: 774-455-6635

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Nick Rhind , PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Gene Expression & Epigenetics

Research Interest: The Rhind lab studies cell size regulation and temporal coordination of DNA replication

Key Words: DNA replication, cell cycle, cell size, replication kinetics

Research Tools: S. cerevisiae (yeast)

Broader Impact: Cancer

Office Location: LRB 904
Lab Location: LRB 940 E-D
Phone: 508-856-8316

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William E. Royer , PhD

Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Royer lab uses their expertise in X-Ray Crystallography to study how the assembly of macromolecules regulates biological function.

Key Words: Structural Biology, X-ray Crystallography, Protein Assembly and regulation.

Research Tools: X-Ray Crystallography

Broader Impact: Cancer

he/him/his
Office Location: LRB 921
Lab Location: LRB 970 G, W
Phone: 508-856-6912

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Mohan Somasundaran , PhD

Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology; Member of the Schiffer Lab

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Cellular Biochemistry

Research Interest: The Somasundaran team studies how cells and viruses interact with each other to develop molecular diagnostics and new antiviral therapies.

Research Tools: cell culture, M. musculus (mouse)

Broader Impact: HIV, EBV, infectious mononucleosis, influenza, SARS-CoV1, SARS-CoV2, cancer

Office Location: LRB 960 E
Phone: 508-856-4408

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Paul Thompson , PhD

Endowed Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology II; Director of the Program in Chemical Biology; Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Thompson lab is a leader in the field of chemical biology and exploits these techniques to study biomedically-important enzymes and proteins including the Protein Arginine Deiminases, STING and SARM1.

Key Words: Drug discovery, deimination, autoimmunity, rheumatoid arthritis, citrullination, enzymology

Research Tools: Enzymology, medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, proteomics, inhibitor design

Broader Impact: rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, lupus, STING-associated vasculopathy in infancy, ALS, peripheral neuropathies, cancer.

Office Location: LRB 825
Lab Location: LRB 860 B, C, E
Phone: 508-856-8492

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Zuoshang Xu , PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry

Research Interest: the Xu lab studies the mechanism of and therapy for ALS using mouse and other models.

Research Tools: M. musculus (mouse)

Broader Impact: ALS

Office Location: LRB 817
Lab Location: LRB 870 J, K
Phone: 508-856-3309

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Qing Yu , PhD

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Yu Lab builds multiplexed, intelligent proteomics platforms to systematically understand protein function in health and disease and to advance therapeutic development.

Key Words: Multiplexed proteomics, mass spectrometry, post-translational modification, bioinformatics, chemical biology, cell signaling, systems biology, drug discovery

Research Tools: Mass spectrometry, mammalian cell culture, mouse model

Broader Impact: Drug resistance, cancer, aging

Office Location: LRB 815
Lab Location: LRB 870 D, E
Phone: 508-856-2174

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