David Sprinzak's Hompage




I'm a Post-doctoral fellow in the Elowitz Lab.
The lab belongs to the Division of Biology and Department of Applied physics at California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
This is my CV.


Research interests

During development, cells differentiate into well-defined patterns through an orchestrated program in space and time. This requires a combination of intercellular signaling, enabling cells to coordinate their differentiation, and intracellular genetic circuits, allowing the cells to process external signals. While much is known about the components involved in developmental patterning (signaling molecules, genes, and proteins), it remains unclear how these components combine as genetic circuits to generate patterns. My long term research goal is to understand how developmental programs are encoded and executed by the underlying genetic circuit within each cell. I will pursue this goal by specifically addressing the following questions: What is the relationship between circuit architecture and the developmental patterns formed? How do the properties of the signaling system (and other components) affect the patterning processes? How is cell morphology controlled or affected by the developmental processes?
Addressing these questions is difficult due to the complexity of natural developmental circuits and the technical difficulties in probing spatiotemporal signals in developing embryos. Recent advances in genetic engineering and microscopy now permit an alternative approach: Instead of studying complex natural genetic circuits in the developing embryo, we can use similar genes to construct synthetic patterning circuits in cultured cells, and study their ability to generate patterns. More specifically, genes encoding intercellular signaling proteins and gene regulatory proteins are introduced into cells that do not ordinarily express these genes or generate patterns. We can then compare different circuit designs as well as study the dependence of pattern formation and its dynamics on rates of expression and other parameters of the system. The controlled and quantitative nature of this synthetic developmental approach can be combined with mathematical modeling and compared to actual developmental systems to provide a systems-level understanding of actual and potential pattern formation circuits.
This Synthetic developmental patterning platform is general and can be applied to many developmental questions. I will initially apply this approach to the study of Notch-dependent developmental patterns by addressing the following specific aims:

Publications


Contact Information

David Sprinzak
Email address: davidsp at caltech.edu
Caltech MC114-96
1200 E. California Blvd.
Pasadena CA 91125

office: 626-395-5813
Fax: 626-395-5972