Overview of Kraft Lab Research

Cells are tiny but complex bioreactors. Cellular function is collectively determined by the combinations of biochemical reactions that occur within it. These biochemical reactions are ultimately controlled by the concentrations and proximities of biomolecules within the cell. A large portion of our research focuses on developing new tools for single cell analyses that overcome sigificant barriers that hinder progress in biomedical research.  The specific obstacle we often must address is the inability to image biomolecules within cells without perturbing their distributions or biological functions. theyacquire ing relate to We use these techniques for applied research, such as detecting stem cell differentiation for tissue engineering, and for basic research on the roles of lipids in plasma membrane organization, influenza virus replication, intracellular trafficking, and cell function.  

Our research can be broken down into the following areas:

• Plasma membrane organization and function (bioimaging)
• Influenza virus infection (bioimaging)
• Engineering noninvasive microscale screening platforms for regenerative medicine (interdisciplinary)