Jackson Laboratory

Image by Alex Valm, NHGRI

The Oh Lab

Julia Oh

Principal Investigator: Julia Oh, Ph.D.

The Jackson Laboratory
Farmington, CT

Contact me at: 860-837-2014

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The Oh Lab studies the human microbiome for its potential to deliver treatments for infectious and other diseases. (Image by Alex Valm, NHGRI)

Background

Because of the metabolic, functional, and immunologic diversity endowed by our body’s microbial communities, the human microbiome has been called our ‘second genome’. Among the protective properties of the microbiome is the competitive exclusion of pathogens, in which transmission and virulence of pathogens, especially drug-resistant species like Staphylococcus aureus, are likely restricted by the entrenched flora. Next-generation antibiotics and antimicrobials necessitate new design principles that incorporate information about both a pathogen’s unique genetic susceptibilities and virulence factors as well as information about its surrounding microbial community: the microbiome contains both beneficial symbionts and a genetic reservoir for horizontal exchange of antibiotic resistance or virulence genes.

Our research

We seek to use diverse technologies like genomics, synthetic biology, and genome engineering to target and manipulate the microbiota for therapeutic purposes. We primarily use the human skin microbiome as a system to understand the complex interactions between the host, its immune system, and the microbiome. Some of our research goals are to:

Integrate synthetic approaches guided by microbial surveys to develop clinical interventions that target pathogens without disrupting our bodies’ healthy microbiota.
Use these tools to understand the genetic basis of community homeostasis and how this interaction with the host contributes to disease.
Develop computational and experimental tools to interrogate microbial 'dark matter', parts of our microbiota that are not yet characterized by current approaches.

More information: http://ohlabjax.weebly.com

Search MagazineAugust 14, 2018
Understanding our inheritence
To find out more about the complexities of inheritance, JAX spoke with author and New York Times columnist Carl Zimmer, who frequently writes about genetics and evolution. His new book, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh, tackles the vast concept of heredity – everything that living organisms pass on to future generations, and the means by which they do so.
Press ReleaseAugust 01, 2018
A RACIPE for success
New five-year, $2.2M outstanding investigator grant to Mingyang Lu will support systems biology algorithm approach.
Minute to UnderstandingJune 28, 2018
What is epigenetics?
Learn how epigenetic changes can affect an individual without physically changing their DNA sequence.
- Aging
- Genetics and Genomics
Press ReleaseApril 30, 2018
Detecting human genome structural variation with long read sequencing
A research team led by Chia-lin Wei is using technology to more easily detect and classify important types of difficult-to-find genomic alterations, known as structural variants.
- Genetic Tools
- Genetics and Genomics

Press ReleaseAugust 01, 2018
$2M NIH Grant to Study Genetic Mechanisms of Inherited Heart Muscle Disorders
Travis Hinson, M.D., has received more than $2 million from the National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to study the mechanisms responsible for a serious and often fatal heart condition.
- Cardiovascular
- Genetics and Genomics
Research HighlightJuly 12, 2018
The distinct forms of an important genomic disruption
A new paper further explains the genomic disruption known as the tandem duplicator phenotype (TDP), a common attribute in some of the most deadly cancers of women.
Tech CornerMay 09, 2018
Controlling biofilms with predictive mathematical models
Reinhard Laubenbacher is leading an interdisciplinary team of researchers to study ways by which we may be able to control biofilms formed by a fungus that is an important cause of topical and systemic infections.
Tech CornerApril 05, 2018
Finding the signal in the noise
GeneWeaver is a powerful web-based software system that combines a genomics data repository with powerful analysis tools.
- Genetic Tools
- Genetics and Genomics

Lab Staff

Akintunde Emiola, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Akintunde plans to develop single cell sequencing technology to define "dark matter" microorganisms, and search for bacteria that encode genes for antibiotic resistance or other immune-related function.
Elizabeth Fleming, B.S.

Research Assistant III

Elizabeth has extensive research experience in labs as diverse as RNA processing, drug discovery, cancer biology and developmental genetics, most recently from neighboring Yale. When not in the lab she loves to cook, dance, and spend time with her family.
Changhui Guan, Ph.D

Senior Research Associate

Changhui works on diverse projects such as quorum sensing, antibiotic resistance, and soil and gut microbiota analyses. He also has research experience in plant-microbe interactions and plant development.
Julia Oh, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Dr. Oh's main research interests focus on the human microbiome—the diverse bacteria, fungi, and viruses that inhabit our bodies—for its potential to deliver treatments for infectious and other diseases.
Anita Voigt, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Anita, a joint postdoctoral fellow with the Oh and Weinstock groups, has experience on microbiome projects related to colorectal cancer and methods development. She is interested in understanding the fundamental roles of the microbiome, particularly the skin and the gut microbiome, in health and disease.
Wei Zhou, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Wei has a strong background in host-microbe interaction and evolution of microbial pathogens. He is interested in developing computational tools to more efficiently characterize the microbiome using metagenomic data.

Selected Publications

View full list of publications