Daniel R. Larson

Biography

The primary goal of Dan Larson's laboratory is to understand gene expression in eukaryotic cells, starting from the mechanistic behavior of individual macromolecules and proceeding to their regulation in cells and tissue. The laboratory utilizes a battery of biophysical and molecular approaches, including single-molecule microscopy, multiphoton microscopy, fluorescence fluctuation analysis, RNA visualization in fixed and living cells, and computational modeling of dynamic gene regulation. Dr. Larson was trained in biophysics, receiving a B.S. in physics from The Ohio State University and then a Ph. D in biophysics from Cornell University working in the laboratory of Watt W. Webb. During this time, he developed a range of optical methods for interrogating macromolecular interactions in living cells. As a joint postdoctoral fellow in the laboratories of Robert Singer and John Condeelis, he helped pioneer in vivo single molecule studies of transcription. Currently, the lab focuses on the regulation and function of RNA in a cell-biological context, including transcription, splicing, post-transcriptional processing, and decay. The large and ever-growing catalog of cellular RNAs and their multiple roles in gene regulation and disease progression makes this field an exciting and dynamic area of research. 

Research Interest

Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics, Cell Biology, Chromosome Biology, Systems Biology