Gerardo Vasta

• Molecular, biochemical, structural, and functional aspects of protein-carbohydrate interactions relevant to immunity and early development

Molecular, biochemical, structural, and functional aspects of protein-carbohydrate interactions relevant to immunity and early development:

1. Function/structure/evolution of innate immune mechanisms in vertebrates (Model organisms: zebrafish, amphibians, and mouse), and invertebrates (Model organisms: mollusks and tunicates).
2. Role of protein carbohydrate interactions in early development and cancer (zebrafish, mouse, and human).
3. Biochemical, molecular and genomic approaches to the study of recognition, signaling, and mechanisms for intracellular survival of protistan parasites (Model system: P. marinus and its host, the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica).