Hansen Lab
Principal Investigator: Anders Sejr Hansen
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: ✅ Accepting PhD Students ✅ Hiring Postdocs
Research Focus
Project Summary Proper gene expression regulation is pivotal for cellular function, and its dysregulation contributes to disease. Transcription factors (TFs) initiate gene expression by identifying binding sites in enhancers and promoters and recruiting the transcriptional machinery. However, the nucleus's crowded nature and the abundance of non-specific sites make it extremely challenging for TFs to efficiently search for and binding correct DNA binding sites. This project addresses the fundamental question: How do TFs efficiently locate specific sites amidst numerous non-specific ones inside a crowded nucleus? Innovatively, this study employs a new advanced microscopy technique that overcomes the low spatiotemporal resolution associated with camera-based single-molecule tracking. This approach enables precise tracking of TFs in live human and mouse cells with unprecedented spatial (~2-4 nm) and temporal (one hundred microseconds) precision. This transformative approach represents a substantial advancement over traditional methods, facilitating the investigation of TF search mechanisms. By comprehensively tracing TFs' 3D diffusion, DNA interactions, and target site discrimination,…
Active NIH Awards
- 4R01CA300848-03: Resolving transcription factor target search mechanisms (2026)
- 5R01EB035127-03: An integrated toolkit for real-time analysis of coupled nascent transcription (2026)
- 5R01EB035127-02: An integrated toolkit for real-time analysis of coupled nascent transcription (2025)
- 5R01CA300848-02: Resolving transcription factor target search mechanisms (2025)
- 1R01EB035127-01: An integrated toolkit for real-time analysis of coupled nascent transcription (2024)
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