Welcome to the Ucar Lab at the Jackson Laboratory!
Ucar Lab is an interdisciplinary team advancing systems immunology, single-cell genomics, and computational biology to transform our understanding of immune system aging and complex human diseases. By combining genomics and computational innovations with functional immunology, we work towards uncovering the cellular and molecular drivers behind immune aging to drive insights that have powerful implications for human health. Our ultimate goal is to reveal how aging alters immune cell transcriptional and epigenetic programs at an individual level, explore the co-factors (such as biological sex) influencing these age-related changes, and understand how these alterations impact immune responses to vaccination.
Epigenomic Signatures of Human Diseases
The regulation of gene expression programs in a cell, and ultimately its functionality, is influenced by both the genome and epigenome—chemical modifications that control how genes are turned on or off. Disruptions to these regulatory programs, whether caused by aging, genetic mutations, or environmental factors, can lead to cellular dysfunction and disease. Our lab generates and analyzes detailed maps of epigenetic changes in primary human cells. These maps help us understand how gene regulation is altered in disease and link these changes to genetic or environmental triggers, providing insights into disease mechanisms and uncover potential therapeutic targets.
Recent publications
- Comprehensive single-cell aging atlas of healthy mammary tissues reveals shared epigenomic and transcriptomic signatures of aging and cancer. Nature Aging. 2024. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-024-00751-8
- Multi-omic human pancreatic islet endoplasmic reticulum and cytokine stress response mapping provides type 2 diabetes genetic insights. Cell Metabolism. 2024. 36 (11), 2468-2488. e7 PMID: 39383866. https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(24)00370-X
- Epigenetic memory of COVID-19 in innate immune cells and their progenitors. Cell. 2023 186(18). 3882-3902. PMID: 37597510. https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)00796-1?_=
Computational Biology
New genomics technologies, such as next-generation sequencing and single-cell profiling, offer an unprecedented, detailed view of human cells. However, analyzing and integrating these complex datasets is computationally challenging. Our lab develops innovative computational methods, using approaches like network theory and machine learning, to effectively analyze these data. This allows us to uncover new insights into gene regulation and cellular behavior and inform us about human biology.
By combining cutting-edge genomics with state-of-the-art computational biology, our lab bridges fundamental science and practical applications. We aim to understand immune system aging and complex diseases at an individual level, ultimately driving personalized approaches to human health. Our long-term goal is to develop strategies to combat or even reverse age-related disorders, improving health and well-being for all.
Recent publications
- CoRE-ATAC: A Deep Learning model for the functional Classification of Regulatory Elements from single cell and bulk ATAC-seq data. PLOS Computational Biology. 2021. 17 (12). e1009670. https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009670
- AMULET: a novel read count-based method for effective multiplet detection from single nucleus ATAC-seq data. Genome Biology. 2021. 1. 1-19. https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13059-021-02469-x
- A Bias-free Transcription Factor Footprint Enrichment Test. Nucleic Acids Research. 2019, Vol. 47, No. 2 e11. https://academic.oup.com/nar/article/47/2/e11/5181443
Explore our publications to learn more about our contributions to the field. We’re always open to connecting with passionate and talented scientists who are interested in joining us! Visit our Open Positions page to learn more about current opportunities.