Andrew T. Lombardo Ph.D.
Andrew T. Lombardo
Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Specialty/Research Focus
Biophysical Modeling; Cytoskeleton and cell motility; Image Processing and Analysis; Molecular and Cellular Biology; Molecular Basis of Disease; Protein Function and Structure
Professional Summary:
The goal of the Lombardo lab is to uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms governing cell polarity. The polarity of cells is a basic biological necessity where cells create regions that are physically or functionally different. This polarization is required for the foundations of life such as division, motility, differentiation and the determination of cell shape and structure. All living things polarize and our research seeks to understand this required component of all life as we know it. Additionally, disruption of polarity in humans can lead to disease which we seek to understand at a cellular and molecular basis.
As a interdisciplinary scientist my work has advanced this goal by combining two powerful disciplines: 1) Top-down cell biological analysis of the mechanism underlying epithelial apical polarity.2) Bottom-up biophysical single molecule techniques reconstituting basic molecular mechanisms in vitro. I leverage these tools to address the basic scientific framework that cells use to polarize
Education and Training:
- Fellowship, Postdoctoral Fellowship. Laboratory of Anthony Bretscher, Cornell University (2023)
- PhD, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont (2018)
- BS, Biophysics, SUNY Geneseo (2011)
Employment:
- Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics Graduate Program (GGB) Mentor
- PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences (PPBS) Mentor
Research Expertise:
- Actin
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Cytoskeleton
- Myosins
- Polarity
- Single Molecule Fluorescence
Journal Articles:
- Lombardo AT, Mitchell CAR, Zaman R, McDermitt DJ, Bretscher A. (2024) ARHGAP18-ezrin functions as an autoregulatory module for RhoA in the assembly of distinct actin-based structures. eLife (Jul), e83526(13) doi:https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.83526
- Miller MR, McDermitt DJ, Sauvanet C, Lombardo AT, Zaman R, Bretscher A. (2022) The RabGAPs EPI64A and EPI64B regulate the apical structure of epithelial cells †. Molecular biology of the cell (Jan), 33(1): ar8. doi:10.1091/mbc.E21-05-0268
- Zaman R, Lombardo A, Sauvanet C, Viswanatha R, Awad V, Bonomo LE, McDermitt D, Bretscher A. (2021) Effector-mediated ERM activation locally inhibits RhoA activity to shape the apical cell domain. The Journal of cell biology (Jun), 220(6). doi:10.1083/jcb.202007146
- Lombardo AT, Nelson SR, Kennedy GG, Trybus KM, Walcott S, Warshaw DM. (2019) Myosin Va transport of liposomes in three-dimensional actin networks is modulated by actin filament density, position, and polarity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (Apr), 116(17): 8326-8335. doi:10.1073/pnas.1901176116
- Lombardo AT, Nelson SR, Ali MY, Kennedy GG, Trybus KM, Walcott S, Warshaw DM. (2017) Myosin Va molecular motors manoeuvre liposome cargo through suspended actin filament intersections in vitro. Nature communications (Jun), 8: 15692. doi:10.1038/ncomms15692
- Heaslip AT, Nelson SR, Lombardo AT, Beck Previs S, Armstrong J, Warshaw DM. (2014) Cytoskeletal dependence of insulin granule movement dynamics in INS-1 beta-cells in response to glucose. PloS one (Jan), 9(10): e109082. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0109082
- Wang Y, Tanner BC, Lombardo AT, Tremble SM, Maughan DW, Vanburen P, Lewinter MM, Robbins J, Palmer BM. (2013) Cardiac myosin isoforms exhibit differential rates of MgADP release and MgATP binding detected by myocardial viscoelasticity. Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology (Jan), 54: 1-8. doi:10.1016/j.yjmcc.2012.10.010
- Freeman CG, Fiksel G, Stoeckl C, Sinenian N, Canfield MJ, Graeper GB, Lombardo AT, Stillman CR, Padalino SJ, Mileham C, Sangster TC, Frenje JA. (2011) Calibration of a Thomson parabola ion spectrometer and Fujifilm imaging plate detectors for protons, deuterons, and alpha particles. The Review of scientific instruments (Jul), 82(7): 073301.
Professional Memberships:
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2024–present)
- National Association of the Deaf- Education Section (2022–present)
- American Society For Cell Biology (2018–present)
- Biophysical Society (2014–present)
Service Activities:
- Analytical Biochemistry; Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports; Reviewer (2024)