Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics

B.S., Duke University

Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Joshua Modell has been designated the Milton E. Cassel Scholar for the 2021 class of Rita Allen Foundation Scholars. This special award honors the memory of a longtime President of the Rita Allen Foundation who passed away in 2004.

CRISPR technologies have led to revolutionary new modes of genetic inquiry in the basic sciences, and they are in development as therapeutics for many genetic diseases. Less is known about how CRISPR systems function in nature, where they provide bacteria with adaptive immunity against viruses and plasmids. The Modell Lab seeks to understand how these systems interact with the biology of their bacterial hosts and viral targets, and how their activity is regulated to provide strong immunity against viruses while preventing autoimmunity.