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Faculty headshot of Matthew Akamatsu, PhD

Matthew Akamatsu PhD

UW Biology
Assistant Professor

Email: akamatsm@uw.edu | Phone: 206.543.1373


We combine computational modeling with quantitative fluorescence microscopy to study how the actin cytoskeleton deforms cellular membranes in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs).  Our long-term goal is to contribute to the understanding of how protein complexes and membranes self-organize within cells to produce directional force and adapt to their physical environment. We use CRISPR/Cas9 to endogenously tag cytoskeletal proteins with fluorescent markers and track their abundance and movement over time in cells using quantitative fluorescence microscopy. These measurements constrain biophysical models of cellular membranes and cytoskeletal networks producing force. Diploid hiPSCs facilitate reproducible quantitative cellular measurements and enable future comparative studies with isogenic differentiated cell lines.