Javier Apfeld uses a quantitative imaging perspective to address fundamental questions in neuronal biology that spans topics from cellular redox chemistry to multicellular aging.
His lab seeks to dissect the interplay between redox processes and age-dependent changes in tissue function in the nematode C. elegans, in order to shed light on the association between the dysregulation of the cellular redox environment and many human diseases of aging.
They tinker with redox processes spanning increasing levels of organismic structure, ranging from the molecular to the cellular and organismic levels. They study how oxidation affects the function of proteins and signaling pathways at the molecular level, using molecular biology and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. The lab probes how protein oxidation is regulated at the cellular and tissue levels, using genetically-encoded protein oxidation sensors that we monitor via ratiometric fluorescence microscopy in live animals. They use system-biological tools to integrate how redox control affects organismic traits, including lifespan.
Publications
In The News
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How a Freeloading Worm Might Help Us Live Healthier, Longer Lives
Caenorhabditis elegans, a transparent, microscopic worm, has evolved a way to take advantage of protection provided by nearby bacteria. This response could provide clues as to how humans coordinate our own cellular defense systems. -
How these worms avoid getting poisoned
After the microscopic roundworms he was studying survived a toxic chemical environment, professor Javier Apfeld was intrigued to discover their tactic for protection against chemical foe. -
Student-led collaboration explains how worms navigate a world of food and toxins
A new study from a Northeastern-led collaboration, looking into the C. elegans worms’ interactions with their microbiome, found that the worms are willing to leave a bacterial food source when they’re exposed to one of their deadliest toxins and identified the driving neurological mechanism behind it.