Naef lab - UPNAE Laboratory of Computational and Systems Biology

Our lab is interested in quantitative, systems biology, and more generally the link between physics and biology. We work on various problems including circadian rhythms, transcriptional bursting, developmental patterning, gene regulation, and single cell imaging. To study these systems we combine theoretical, computational and experimental methods.

Current Research Areas

> Circadian gene regulatory networks in mammals
> Chronobiology of the liver
> Circadian oscillators in single cells
> Interactions of circadian oscilators and cell cycle
> Transcriptional bursting and noise in mammalian gene transcription

Would you like to join us for your PhD or Post-doc? See Openings.

Please contact [email protected]

The latest news

How our biological clocks are locked in sync

— Scientists from EPFL's Institute of Bioengineering have discovered that our circadian clock and our cell-cycle are in fact, synchronized.

The birth and death of proteins in a single cell

— A new method developed by EPFL bioengineers has disentangled the “see-saw” balance of protein synthesis and degradation in single cells.

Gene rhythm: how the circadian clock regulates 3D chromatin structure

— EPFL biologists and geneticists have uncovered how the circadian clock orchestrates the 24-hour cycle of gene expression by regulating the structure of chromatin, the tightly wound DNA-protein complex of the cell. The work is published in Genes & Development.

All news

Recent Highlights

Clock-dependent chromatin topology modulates circadian transcription and behavior

Mermet et al., Genes Development 2018. The circadian clock in animals orchestrates widespread oscillatory gene expression programs, which underlie 24-h rhythms in behavior and physiology.

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Modulation of transcriptional burst frequency by histone acetylation

Nicolas et al., PNAS 2018. Many mammalian genes are transcribed during short bursts of variable frequencies and sizes that substantially contribute to cellto-cell variability. However,

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Transcription factor activity rhythms and tissue-specific chromatin interactions explain circadian gene expression across organs.

Yeung et al., Genome Research 2018. Temporal control of physiology requires the interplay between gene networks involved in daily timekeeping and tissue function across different organs.

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See all our previous Research Highlights

Contact

Laboratory of Computational and Systems Biology

Monday to Friday: 08.00 - 16.00

Head of laboratory: Prof. Felix Naef
♦ Office AAB 040
♦ Phone:  +41 21 693 16 21
♦ Email: [email protected]

Administrative Assistant: Sophie Barret
♦ Office AAB 038
♦ Phone:  +41 21 693 83 58
♦ Email: [email protected]

Mailing Address:

EPFL SV IBI UPNAE
Prof. Felix Naef
AAB 040
Station 15
CH-1015 Lausanne