Strong Laboratory

 We are interested in developing and applying computational and molecular methods to better generate, integrate and analyze genomic and proteomic information, with a focus on respiratory diseases and disease pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis, the causative agent of the human tuberculosis disease, results in approximately 1.6 million deaths each year, most of which occur in developing countries. Our work falls under the general categories of systems biology, genomics, computational biology, and structural informatics, and builds on disciplines ranging from microbiology to genetics to computer science.

Our group is particularly interested in the interplay among humans, their pathogens and environmental factors. Many diseases occur as a result of a complex interplay among human genetic factors, human-pathogen interactions and environmental stimuli, and it is our goal to better understand these relationships through the integration and analysis of large-scale biological and genomic datasets. We have active projects and collaborations that include complete genome sequencing, gene expression analysis, protein and gene network analysis and structural informatics.

We are also very interested in developing computational methods that can help our clinical counterparts, particularly in areas related to gene-based diagnostics and drug resistance. Since our group is centered at National Jewish Health, one of the premier respiratory hospitals in the United States, we draw on the strength of both our clinicians and basic scientists, in order to apply modern genomic and bioinformatic strategies to address important areas of respiratory disease research. We are also very interested in international collaborations, particularly with individuals working in developing countries most affected by devastating global diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS, where the medical need often outweighs the available resources.

For more information on the Strong Laboratory, please visit www.stronglab.org.

Current Projects

• Network Analysis of Humans, Pathogens and Environmental Factors
• Expression Profiling of Humans and Associated Pathogens
• Genome Sequencing, Analysis and Structural Bioinformatics