Sarah Franklin

The Franklin lab is investigating epigenetic regulation of gene expression during the development of heart disease. In the nucleus DNA is wrapped around histone proteins, forming nucleosomes. This combination of DNA, histones and other proteins is referred to as chromatin.  Both the DNA and proteins in this complex are susceptible to modifications which can alter the chromatin structure and consequently influence the genes which are transcribed.  Changes in gene transcription can influence cell fate and physiology and have been shown to be altered in disease, including heart disease. Because more people die from heart disease than any other pathology the Franklin lab is interested in identifying the specific factors that regulate gene expression in the heart during disease progression. We are specifically interested in understanding the mechanistic basis for how remodeling of chromatin induces the re-expression of fetal genes in the heart during the development of cardiac hypertrophy and failure. To do this the lab uses a combination of cell and animal models, proteomics, biochemistry and molecular biology to elucidate the function of histone isoforms, post-translational modifications and other chromatin binding proteins on chromatin structure and gene accessibility.

Dr Franklin is also an Assistant Director with the Rural & Underserved Utah Training Experience (RUUTE) in the School of Medicine. She oversees the RUUTE summer research experiences for undergraduate and medical students and teaches the Research & Innovation Course over the summer. Dr. Franklin is passionate about exposing young individuals to new career paths in medicine and science, creating meaningful educational opportunities for students, and mentoring them along their academic journey.