Prashant Bhat
I study how the three-dimensional organization of the genome controls gene expression and how it goes awry in human disease.
The architecture of the genome
In my PhD work in Dr. Mitchell Guttman's laboratory at Caltech, I developed split-pool technologies to generate high-resolution spatial maps of the human genome and simultaneously profile RNA, DNA, and protein interactions. I applied these technologies to study genome organization around nuclear speckles and discovered that mRNA splicing efficiency is enhanced when genes physically co-associate with speckles.
In the future, I hope to apply these multiplexed detection methods to (i) develop novel molecular diagnostic tools for pathology and (ii) understand how aberrant nuclear architecture on histopathology contributes to disease.
Selected work
Recognition
Background
I am a physician-scientist and clinical pathology resident at UCSF, trained through the UCLA–Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program. My work sits at the intersection of molecular biology, genomics, RNA biology, and biochemistry to study the human genome.
My PhD in Mitchell Guttman's lab at Caltech centered on how the three-dimensional organization of the nucleus regulates gene expression. Using SPRITE (developed in the Guttman lab) I demonstrated that gene proximity to nuclear speckles drives mRNA splicing efficiency, establishing a quantitative principle of gene regulation.
As a physician-scientist, I aim to connect the understanding of nuclear architecture to human disease. I aim to pair diagnostic pathology with a research program grounded in spatial genomics and RNA biology.
I began my research career as an undergraduate in Jennifer Doudna's lab at UC Berkeley during the early days of CRISPR/Cas9, where my senior honors thesis developed biochemical purification methods for E. coli Cas3 and an in vitro DNA degradation assay reconstituting the CRISPR immune response. During my PhD, I held an NIH F30 fellowship and the Josephine De Kármán National Fellowship. My work has been featured in Caltech News, The Scientist, and Prelights.