There is tremendous interest in understanding how cells receive and process signals in order to carry out a given cellular response, a field known as cellular signal transduction. The research objective of the Allbritton Lab is to quantitatively measure cellular signaling networks in order to understand the relationships of these intracellular pathways in controlling cellular physiology in health and disease. In order to elucidate these complex interrelationships, measurements on individual cells must be undertaken. The Allbritton lab has pursued this task by bringing to bear diverse techniques from biology, physics, chemistry, and engineering to develop new analytical tools for identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying signal transduction within individual cells. The lab's research is best characterized as a multidisciplinary program for the development and application of new analytical methods with two main focus areas: 1) analytical techniques for cellular signaling, and 2) microfabricated cellular analysis systems.

New methods involving highly sensitive microanalytical separations have been developed by the lab for single-cell applications. This research has involved a number of biological systems, but is particularly focused on studies of enzymatic activity involved in cellular signaling. To carry out these measurements, the group has developed novel strategies for the selective electrical- or laser-induced ablation of target cells to introduce cellular analytes into separation devices while rapidly terminating chemical reactions within the cell. New methods have also been developed to load biochemical probes for enzyme assays into live, single cells. A significant effort is directed at the design and optimization of new probes for assaying biochemical activity of cellular signaling pathways.

The lab is at the forefront in the development of new microfabricated technologies for sampling and chemical analysis of single cells. Novel microscale devices are being designed and tested to overcome challenges related to the acquisition of individual cells and to the separation and detection of multiple cellular analytes from those cells. The laboratory has an active area of investigation in polymers as device substrates and in surface modification for biological applications and electrophoretic separations. This work includes novel UV grafting procedures and patterning methods for polymer microdevices. In addition, the group has developed new strategies for conjugation of proteins to surfaces with minimal loss of bioactivity.

The research projects led by Dr. Allbritton are notable for their highly collaborative nature with scientists and engineers from a variety of disciplines working together to achieve common goals. The laboratory itself maintains a highly interdisciplinary atmosphere whose members have expertise in multiple fields including analytical chemistry, physics, engineering, medicine and biology. In addition, most research projects involve formal collaborations with investigators from diverse departments including Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Physics. A current list of these collaborations is provided through the link above.

The Lab provides an excellent environment for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students interested in a multidisciplinary training experience. Students from several of UCI’s graduate programs including Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Materials Science and Engineering, and the Molecular Biology, Genetics & Biochemistry programs are currently or have recently trained under Dr. Allbritton’s mentorship.