The Ranish Lab, led by Dr. Jeff Ranish, develops and applies proteomics approaches to study protein interactions and the composition and architecture of large molecular complexes.
Blood samples in a sterile hood at ISB. Photo credit: Victorial Uhl / ISB.
Thalassemia, an inherited disorder that affects the production of healthy red blood cells, causing mild to severe anemia, is treated with blood/iron transfusions or stem cell transplants. The Ranish Lab, with NIH funding, is investigating the red blood cell creation process to develop new therapeutic strategies for fetal and adult thalassemia and other red blood cell disorders.
Dr. Omar Arias-Gaguancela working in the Ranish Lab. Photo credit: Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures.
Gene expression – the process that controls which genes are turned on in a cell – is regulated so that specialized cell types and structures are created and responsive to change. Unregulated gene expression can lead to a wide range of diseases including cancer. The Ranish Lab and Northwestern, with NIH support, are generating an unprecedented, detailed view of the initiation of this critical and highly complex process.
Dr. Jeff Ranish with his lab at ISB. Photo credit: Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures.
Proteins – among the most abundant molecules in our bodies – interact with one another in protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks to allow information flow through biological systems. Alterations to PPIs underlie all diseases, so it is critical to understand normal and variant PPIs. The Ranish Lab, with NIH support, is creating technologies that will allow researchers to quickly and inexpensively map PPIs transforming biomedical research.
Dr. Jie Luo working at ISB. Photo credit: ISB.
Viral global pandemics affect all of us. Drugs that can be cheaply and rapidly deployed in the early stages of outbreaks – even before vaccines are available – are critical. The Ranish Lab, with Washington Research Foundation support, created a new broad-spectrum anti-viral compound that holds the promise of being quickly deployable, effective, and inexpensive.
In the cellular process of differentiation, information about the concentrations of an important class of proteins residing in a cell’s nucleus has been lacking, a missing link needed for scientists to fully understand how the process works. ISB researchers have quantified this important class of proteins that play a key role in the formation of red blood cells.
Ranish is a a pioneer in the fields of mass spectrometry and gene regulation. His impressive history of innovation in mass spectrometry technology has produced novel protein-crosslinking approaches to identify large scale protein-protein interactions in complex mixtures.
Professor
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