Neuronal Extracellular Vesicles Are Signaling Organelles
Maureen Barr, PhD
Distinguished Professor
Department of Genetics
Rutgers University
The Barr Laboratory is interested in two seemingly unrelated questions in biology: the generation of sexual behaviors and the molecular basis of human genetic diseases of cilia. In particular, the lab studies male sensory behaviors and ciliary specialization in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. It uses several approaches to study animal physiology and behavior, including the dissection of neural circuits, identifying genes required for nervous system development and function, and super-resolution in vivo imaging. More recently, the lab has become obsessed with extracellular vesicles — nano-communication devices that cells shed to influence the behavior of other cells, tissues or even organisms.