Research in the Luger Lab focuses on the structural and mechanistic biology of genome organization in all domains of life. We aim to understand the fundamental impact of chromatin architecture on genome-related processes such as gene transcription, DNA replication, and DNA repair in eukaryotes. We also study chromatin organization in non-eukaryotic organisms such as giant viruses, bacteria, and archaea. Finally, we aim to design better drugs for the treatment of cancer, through our comprehensive investigations of a first responder to DNA damage.
The Luger Lab is located in the new Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building, a 330,000-square-foot research and teaching facility at the University of Colorado Boulder, East Campus. We are a motivated group of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and senior research associates with diverse interests and backgrounds, and we are engaged in teaching, outreach and community service in addition to working on chromatin.
Image credit: Vignesh Kasinath
Our approach is to combine structural biology with functional and mechanistic assays and molecular dynamics, and to validate key insights in cells. Our latest research and new directions capitalize on the recent acquisition of a Titan Krios G3i and a Glacios TEM at CU Boulder, through generous funds from HHMI and CU Boulder. These instruments, housed in the BioKEM (Biochemistry Krios Electron Microscopy) Facility, are the first of their kind in a wide swath of the country, and they have been transformative for structural biology in the entire Midwest region.