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Dr. Aitchison merges the traditional fields of cell biology and biochemistry with new high-throughput technologies and computational biology to bring about an understanding of how the three-dimensional architecture of cells imparts control over cellular function.

Within this broad context, he is focusing two related areas of research. In the first area, he studies how tiny pore complexes spread over the surface of a cell nucleus regulate the flow of information between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Specifically, Dr. Aitchison observes how these complexes act as corridors through which only specific proteins access the DNA contained within the cell nucleus, and how this selective transport influences the functioning and development of cells.

Dr. Aitchison also studies peroxisomes: cellular organelles that play diverse metabolic roles and are consequently linked to numerous human diseases. Aitchison’s work is devoted to using functional genomics, proteomics, and genetics to achieve a thorough understanding of the regulation of peroxisome development. The comprehensive understanding of this dynamic process will provide insight into the fundamental biology of peroxisome biogenesis and disease processes associated with peroxisomes. This work also serves as a model for the application of systems approaches to more complicated dynamic cellular differentiation processes.