Purnati Khuntia
2024-present
Mechano-Developmental Biology
purnati_khuntia@fas.harvard.edu
(617) 998-0812
Our lab investigates how tissue-level architectures emerge from the material properties and spatial organization of subcellular structures. Currently, we are focusing on nuclear mechanics and positioning in the context of epithelial pseudostratification. By using a diverse set of model organisms, we aim to uncover fundamental principles governing how nuclear material properties contribute to the evolution of pseudostratified architecture. With state-of-the-art high-resolution microscopy and mechanical as well as molecular perturbations, we aim to recapitulate the evolutionary trajectory of pseudostratification as a function of nuclear mechanics.