The Prescher Lab
Expanding the imaging toolkit to spy on cellular communication
Our research team is crafting novel probes to "spy" on cells and decipher their communications in vivo. Cellular networks drive diverse aspects of human biology, ranging from immune function to memory formation. Breakdowns in these networks also underlie numerous pathologies. While cell-cell interactions play key roles in human health and disease, the mechanisms by which cells transact information in vivo are not completely understood. The number of cells types involved, the timing and location of their interactions, the molecular cues exchanged, and the long-term fates of the cells remain poorly characterized in most cases. We are designing and deploying custom tools to visualize cellular networks in real time—and with molecular precision—in physiologically relevant environments. Collectively, our work is decoding cellular communications relevant to infectious disease, cancer metastases, and immune function.
News and Events
January 2025
- Welcome Yuan, our new postdoctoral researcher!
- Happy holidays! We celebrated with a fun holiday group lunch at Javier’s in Crystal Cove.
December 2024
- We celebrated the recent publications in the lab with holiday cookie decorating!
- We went to a lab dinner outing to welcome back Allie!
- Welcome undergrad Kevin Thompson to the lab!
November 2024
- Congrats to lab alumni Sharon, Robby, and all our collaborators in the Schneekloth and Luptak labs. Manuscript accepted at ACS Chem Biol
- Sharon defended her thesis! Congratulations Dr. Chen!
- Congrats to Lila, Erin, Kevin, Zach, and all our collaborators in the Luptak and Steward labs. Manuscript accepted at Nat. Commun.
October 2024
- We won the SCBC pumpkin decorating competition hosted by the Griffin lab!
- Congrats to lab alum Dr. Torrey on his new postition at Amgen in Cambridge, MA!
- Congrats to lab alumna Dr. Love! She was selected for UCSD’s Postdoc Award for Research Excellence.
- Congrats to Kelly! She was selected to present at the Undergrad Research Symposium at Rice U.