Bauer Lab
Location and Contact Information
Principal Investigator
The Bauer Lab uses a mix of molecular biology, animal physiology, and functional genomics to translate human genetics studies into actionable biological mechanisms, with a specific focus on cardiometabolic traits. Current work in the lab includes continued research into the roles of the Tribbles-1 (TRIB1) pseudokinase in regulating plasma lipid metabolism in the liver and adipose tissue, development of novel therapeutics targeting Tribbles-1 activity, and understanding the effects of common DNA variation on nearby gene expression through functional genomics (i.e. ATAC-Seq, CRISPR/Cas9 screen, etc). Other ongoing projects include studies on the metalloprotease ADAMTS7 in atherosclerosis, the contribution of adventitial cells to atherosclerotic plaques, and the role of transcription factor C/EBPa in regulating hepatic lipid metabolism and adipose development.
The Bauer Lab maintains a strong interest in training the next generation of cardiometabolic translational scientists, and potential students and trainees are encouraged to reach out for potential opportunities to work in the lab. Dr. Bauer can be contacted at rcb36@columbia.edu.
Lab Members
Allen Chung
- Graduate Student
Allen Chung is a PhD student within the Institute of Human Nutrition. From San Francisco, his favorite beer is a Hefeweizen. Allen’s research centers on the role of ADAMTS7 in atherosclerosis.
Krista Y. Hu
- Graduate Student
Krista received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Brandeis University in 2017. During college, she worked in the Hayes lab, studying the impact of diet macronutrients on diabetes. She also gained experience in molecular biology techniques and sequencing as a technician at Massachusetts General Hospital. As a result, she chose to attend Columbia for her PhD in Metabolic Biology in hopes of studying metabolic disease at a molecular level. Her research focuses on the role of C/EBPa in adipocyte metabolism and adipose tissue development. When not wrestling with the mouse colony, Krista enjoys sampling fancy ice cream and playing violin with various community orchestras around NYC. Likes: Rainin pipettes, teaching, kiwi ice cream. Dislikes: when the western blot looks like a Rorschach test, lactose.
Lauren Fries
- Graduate Student
Lauren is a 2nd year graduate student in the Nutrition and Metabolic Biology Program in the Institute for Human Nutrition. Lauren has a B.A. in Biology from Oberlin University and spent multiple years working as a technician for Dr. Aravinda Chakravarti at NYU. Lauren’s research focus is on vascular cells and atherosclerosis.
Juliana Gomez
- Research Technician/Lab Manager
Juliana received her bachelor’s in Human Physiology from Boston University in 2023. During college, she worked in the Ramirez Lab, studying the therapeutic effects of psychedelics on stress-related disorders. As the Lab Manager and Research Technician at Bauer Lab, she mentors undergraduate students while exploring her interest in cardiovascular research. Juliana is applying to medical school in the 2025 cycle and aspires to become a physician who provides compassionate, culturally sensitive, and comprehensive care to underserved communities. Likes: sour gummy worms, adding gifs to every presentation, and cracking open western gel cassettes. Dislikes: the smell of bacteria, Allen, and tracking down invoices.
Esme Dodge
- Undergraduate Researcher
Esme is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Columbia College majoring in biophysics. She joined the Bauer lab in 2023 to learn more about research and cardiometabolic disease. In the lab, she works with her mentor Krista and is enjoying working on her independent project, which aims to identify novel binding partners of adipocyte Tribbles-1. Esme is also a member of the Columbia University women’s rowing team and spends most of her time outside of the lab and school training for rowing. Likes: conditioning the mice, 5mL serological pipets, the pursuit of scientific discovery, and chicken and rice. Dislikes: the 1 train elevators at 168th and expired 5% milk.
Hector Himede
- Undergraduate Researcher
Hector is a current third year undergraduate student at Columbia studying Biology and Statistics. He grew up in El Salvador and now works at the Bauer lab with much eagerness to learn about cardiometabolic genomics (and beyond)! Hector's work involves the characterization of genetic variants of the Trib1 pseudokinase. Likes: Raw carrots, Cholesterol assays, sweet treats, and clothes. Dislikes: The smell of mice, missing the intercampus shuttle, and RNA extractions.
Former Members
Elizabeth Ha
- Graduate Student
Education and Training. BS, Stony Brook University.
Select Publications
Ha EE, Quartuccia GI, Ling R, Xue C, Karikari RA, Hernandez-Ono A, Hu KY, Matias CV, Imam R, Cui J, Pellegata NS, Herzig S, Georgiadi A, Soni RK, Bauer RC. “Adipocyte-specific tribbles pseudokinase 1 regulates plasma adiponectin and plasma lipids in mice.” Mol Metab. 2022 Feb;56:101412.
Chung A, Chang HK, Pan H, Bashore AC, Shuck K, Matias CV, Gomez J, Yan H, Li M, Bauer RC. ADAMTS7 Promotes Smooth Muscle Cell Foam Cell Expansion in Atherosclerosis. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Feb 29:2024.02.26.582156.
Jadhav KS, Bauer RC. "The Trouble with Tribbles-1: Elucidating the Genetics and Physiology of a GWAS locus." Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2019 June;39:998-1005.
Chung A, Reilly MP, Bauer RC. “ADAMTS7: A Novel Therapeutic Target in Atherosclerosis.” Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2023 Jun 24.
Ouimet M, Bauer RC, St. Hilaire C. “Building Your Mentoring Network in your Early Career.” Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2021 Oct;41(10):2513-2515. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.121.316802.