User:Timur Niroomand

Contact Info



 * Timur Niroomand
 * Graduate Student
 * Li Lab, 8th Floor Genomics


 * 100 Washington Square East, New York, New York
 * Email me at niroomand@nyu.edu

I currently conduct research under the tutelage of the lab of Dr. Fei Li, at the New York University Department of Biology. Our lab's interests mainly lay within the field of epigenetic analysis. More specifically, we are concerned with the dynamic nature of chromatin structure as evident in histone modifications leading to heterochromatin silencing. Such a silencing complex contains an intriguing protein/RNA complex and interaction, which ultimately reins-in in a necessary understanding of the RNA interference (RNAi) paradigm. Within the past 5 years, the effect of non-coding RNA and small interfering RNA (siRNA) in model systems have revolutionized the newly spawned discipline of Molecular Genetics and promises to be an exciting area of study. The applications for understanding the heterochromatin silencing mechanisms can garner a wide set of implications to further disease study, as well as develop novel genetic engineering techniques. Li Lab utilizes Schizosaccharomyces pombe or "fission yeast" organism model. A simpler model that allows easier access to eukaryotic genetic properties, fission yeast contains close to 4,970 coding genes, and roughly 450 non-coding RNAs. An appealing aspect to S. Pombe is its fully sequenced genome, the sixth organism to have been sequenced as of 2002 thanks to the Sanger Institute. Abstractly, my goal is to gain an understanding of epigenetic/DNA replication mechanisms within S. Pombe and elucidate a clearer vision of neurodegenerative and immunological disease etiology in higher organisms including humans.

Research interests

 * 1) Cloning, Transgenics, Temporal/Spatial Gene Knockout Technique
 * 2) Developmental Biology
 * 3) Neuroprotection and Neurodegenerative disease

Useful links

 * Introductory tutorial
 * OpenWetWare help pages