OVERVIEW

The Maher lab studies the nucleic acids, DNA and RNA. We are interested in understanding how DNA is bent and looped by proteins, and how this bending is involved in the control of gene expression. These studies involve bacterial, yeast, and mammalian proteins, as well as artificial proteins engineered to test basic principles.

We also study how unnatural DNA and RNA molecules can be selected from random libraries for the ability to tightly bind and inhibit proteins in living cells. These studies seek to develop new approaches to artificial gene regulation in cancer and inflammatory diseases.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Understanding DNA bending and looping by proteins
• Understanding the relationship between DNA structure and transcription initiation
• Exploring small folded RNAs and DNAs as artificial tools for regulating the functions of living cells