The Vizcarra group investigates how actin, the most abundant protein in many cells, is regulated to perform its impressive list of cellular roles. We employ biochemical techniques, spectroscopy, and high-resolution microscopy with three primary research goals: (1) understanding cytoskeletal regulators that are associated with inherited deafness, (2) developing small molecules that inhibit specific formin proteins and functions, and (3) studying how the metal binding protein metallothionein-3 modulates the actin cytoskeleton in response to lead exposure.

This work is funded by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, and the NSF Divisions of Chemistry and Biological Infrastructure.