JJ Miranda, PhD
Assistant Investigator
- Fewer scientific details, please
Download a Printable PDF Other Professional Titles
Assistant Professor, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco
Administrative Assistant
Kim Osborn
(415) 734-4857
kim.osborn@gladstone.ucsf.eduMore about Dr. Miranda
Dr. Miranda’s research focuses on the molecular basis of how genes are organized in a cell. For these investigations, he studies human viruses associated with cancer—including the Epstein-Barr virus and the human papillomavirus (HPV)—with the goal of identifying drug targets to disrupt the viral life cycle.
As a graduate student at Harvard University, Dr. Miranda was awarded a Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Science Foundation and received Certificates of Distinction in Teaching.
Dr. Miranda earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Reed College in Portland, Ore., and a PhD in biochemistry from Harvard. He then joined the UCSF Fellows program, which allows young scientists to establish independent research laboratories immediately after finishing graduate school.
- More scientific details, please
Other Professional Titles
Assistant Professor, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco
Administrative Assistant
Kim Osborn
(415) 734-4857
kim.osborn@gladstone.ucsf.eduAreas of Investigation
Our laboratory studies the molecular basis for genome organization. Ubiquitous long-range interactions fold genomes into defined conformations. The CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) has repeatedly emerged as a necessary component for the formation of loops that bridge distal DNA elements on the same and even different chromosomes to regulate transcription. Approximately 10,000 binding sites localize mostly to intergenic regions, but also to introns, promoters and exons. This dynamic and regulated genome organization is one of the large-scale cellular phenomena now becoming amenable to atomic resolution mechanistic understanding through the concerted efforts of genetics, biochemistry and structural biology.
Current Lab Focus
- What is the structure of CTCF and chromatin loops?
- What is the function of organizing proteins on the Epstein-Barr virus genome?
- Does CTCF organize the genomes of the Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus, human immunodeficiency virus and human papillomavirus?
Joined Gladstone
2011
Why Gladstone?
To help science overcome disease.
Key Achievements
- Defined the molecular architecture of the CTCF family of proteins.
- Identified at high resolution the occupancy of CTCF and other organizers in the genomes of herpesviruses.
Education
Reed College (BA), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2001)
Harvard University (PhD), Biochemistry (2007)Awards
- Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Harvard University (2003)
- Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation (2002)
- Class of 1921 Award, Reed College (2001)
- Commendation for Excellence in Scholarship, Reed College (1999)
