Research interests: Quantitative live-cell biosensors | 3D disease models | therapeutic discovery
The Braun Lab develops quantitative biosensor technologies that make otherwise hidden molecular events measurable in living biological systems. We engineer fluorescence lifetime-based FRET, multiplexed dark FRET, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and complementary phenotypic reporters to monitor protein interactions, aggregation, signaling, proteostasis, and cellular stress in real time.
A central goal of the lab is to bridge the gap between molecular mechanism and therapeutic discovery. Our research asks not only whether a disease-associated protein or pathway changes, but where that change occurs, which cell types are affected, and whether modifying the molecular state produces a meaningful improvement in cellular function.
We apply these tools across scalable experimental models, ranging from high-throughput cell-based assays to induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons, multicellular spheroids and organoids, and C. elegans. Current applications include neurodegenerative proteinopathies involving alpha-synuclein, tau, and TDP-43; inflammatory signaling; axonal degeneration; and the cellular pathways that determine resilience to disease and aging.
By combining quantitative biosensing, high-content imaging, and functional validation, the Braun Lab aims to create broadly deployable platforms for therapeutic screening, disease modeling, and patient-specific functional phenotyping.
