Our Research
TKL Research Program
The Kamariza Lab integrates chemical biology, synthetic biology, and molecular engineering to create novel platforms for probing, detecting, and manipulating complex biological systems, with the overarching goal of developing innovative strategies to visualize, quantify, and control biological processes. By focusing on fundamental molecular mechanisms, we aim to deliver technologies that are both rigorous in design and broadly applicable across scientific disciplines.
1. Chemical mycobacteriology
We develop chemical probes that exploit the distinctive biology of mycobacteria. Our work focuses on trehalose-conjugated fluorophores that selectively label live mycobacterial cells, providing tools to visualize cell-envelope activity, metabolism, and responses to environmental or chemical perturbations. We investigate how probe structure and fluorophore properties influence labeling and performance. These studies expand the chemical toolkit available for studying mycobacteria and establish new approaches for fluorescence imaging, bacterial detection, and phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing.
2. CRISPR-Cas technologies
We engineer CRISPR-Cas systems as programmable tools for molecular sensing. Our research includes Cas13-based assays designed to detect and distinguish nucleic acids from bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens. We also develop multiplexed detection strategies that enable many pathogen targets and clinically relevant variants to be evaluated simultaneously within one integrated assay. Alongside these applications, we investigate the fundamental properties of CRISPR-Cas systems that influence activation, background signal, specificity, and assay reliability. Our goal is to establish better principles and tools for building sensitive, robust, and adaptable molecular sensors.
3. Mycobacterial physiology
Mycobacterium tuberculosis can occupy diverse physiological states that affect its survival, response to treatment, and ability to cause disease. We study this heterogeneity at the single-cell and population levels, with particular interest in bacterial dormancy, stress adaptation, persistence, and reactivation.
By combining fluorescent probes with complementary molecular and imaging approaches, we seek to understand how individual cells differ within an M. tuberculosis population and how those differences shape clinically important behaviors. These insights may reveal new ways to study treatment response, identify physiologically distinct bacterial populations, and potentially unveil new therapeutic modalities.
Outlook
Across all research areas, our work follows a shared strategy: investigate fundamental biological mechanisms, translate those insights into programmable molecular tools, and evaluate how those tools can address important challenges in human health. We work closely with collaborators to develop technologies that are rigorous, adaptable, and responsive to the needs of the communities they are intended to serve.
4. Bioresponsive polymers
We engineer polymers and biomaterials that respond to biological or environmental signals. These materials can connect molecular recognition with changes that are visible, measurable, or capable of releasing a payload.
Our current interests include responsive hydrogels for accessible molecular detection, controlled delivery, and environmental monitoring. By integrating programmable biology with materials engineering, we aim to create platforms that translate molecular events into practical outputs for diagnostic and other biomedical applications.
5. Implementation science and collaborative partnerships
Our technologies are intended to improve health and therefore they must be designed and evaluated within the medical settings and communities they are meant to serve. We work closely with domestic and international clinical partners to understand implementation needs, assess technology performance, and identify barriers to adoption.
These collaborations inform decisions about sample types, protocols, infrastructure, cost, usability, and the interpretation of results. By incorporating clinical implementation considerations throughout the research process, we aim to develop molecular technologies that are scientifically rigorous, context-appropriate, and accessible.
