The CEB Bioinformatics Resource Center will no longer be available after March 31, 2023 Please contact Meg Staton at mstaton1@utk.edu for more information.
The Löffler Lab studies relevant biogeochemical processes in soil, sediment, subsurface and water environments by combining cultivation-based techniques with genetic, biochemical, analytical, meta-omics, and computational methodologies. This integrated approach unifies research themes in the Löffler Lab, and all projects address fundamental research questions, some have an applied component, and several are of considerable public interest.
Honey bee colonies are significantly impacted by insect pests that introduce diseases and elevate colony stress. In this research effort, we are using biological, behavioral, and environmental observations to develop practical measures to understand how insects influence over-wintering of honey bee colonies.
This project combines specialized omics approaches, metabolic activity and geochemical measurements/models to study natural microbes, cultured and uncultured, in pristine permafrost intact cores, to ultimately develop predictive models for greenhouse gas emissions.
Magnocellular neurons (neuroendocrine cells located in the hypothalamus) are some of largest cells in the brain and are responsible for synthesizing the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin. These cells are notoriously difficult to culture, which makes their study difficult. This research effort is attempting to develop a tissue chip matrix for the growth of these cells and their study in drug discovery and disease management.
