Radhika Subramanian, Ph.D.

Radhika received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Brandeis University. She then performed postdoctoral work at the Rockefeller University. She joined the faculty of the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in October 2014.

The Subramanian Lab is interested in how micron-length scale structures that are critical for cellular signaling emerge from the collective activity of nanometer-sized proteins. We address this question in the context of microtubule organization for (1) cell division and (2) cilium-dependent Hedgehog signal transduction. We primarily use a reconstitution-based approach and ‘reconstruct’ sub-reactions of these cellular pathways in vitro from purified components. We aim to decipher the fundamental rules that govern the spatial-temporal organization of cellular machines and organelles, such as the spindle and the cilium, through this approach. We employ a wide range of experimental techniques, integrating information from cutting-edge single-molecule methods, high-resolution microscopy, structural tools, and biochemical and cellular read-outs. Through these studies, our goal is to understand the cellular mechanisms relevant to developmental disorders and human cancers.