HG Genetic Engineering Laboratory (HGGEL)

HG Genetic Engineering Laboratory (HGGEL)

Research in Geckil’s Genetic Engineering Laboratory is primarily based on the function of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb), the first prokaryotic hemoglobin. Using VHb, Geckil’s group engineered various bacteria for the purpose of producing industrially important products ranging from microbial fuels butanediol, acetoin to drugs used in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson disease (e.g., dopa, dopamine) and to asparaginase, an enzyme used in cancer chemotherapy. One of the recent endeavors of his laboratory is to dissect the anatomy of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein and its physiological effects on cells. For this aim, his laboratory is studying the expression of S and its effect on cell physiology, using recombinant shuttle vectors created in his laboratory.