Michael Lewis Email & Phone Number

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Chapel Hill

As a postdoctoral fellow in Hector Franco’s lab at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, I have dedicated my research efforts to the epigenetics of breast cancer with a specific focus on the role of eRNA producing enhancers and super-enhancers in the pathogenesis of triple negative breast cancer. With the recent discovery that active enhancers produce eRNAs, I have set forth to define the mechanisms that eRNAs employ to facilitate target gene upregulation. As part of this endeavor, I have also identified several novel eRNA producing enhancers and super-enhancers that may be driving gene expression networks critical to the triple negative breast cancer subtype. My current investigations leverage these elements to study eRNA utility as well as the broader biological consequences of their activity in breast cancer. I recently performed a high-throughput CRISPR interference (dCas9-KRAB) screen targeting 30 of the most active eRNA-producing TNBC-specific super-enhancers to identify their clinical impact. The results of this experiment were further explored using Cas9 genome editing and Cas13 eRNA transcript knockdown.

Gainesville, Florida Area

My postdoctoral research involved analyzing the Angelman syndrome imprinting defect mouse model created during my PhD work to determine the consequences of the imprinting defect.

Gainesville, Florida Area

My PhD research focused on elucidating the mechanisms of genomic imprinting at the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS)/Angelman syndrome (AS) locus. By analyzing gene expression in human oocytes, I identified previously undocumented promoters within a critical region of the locus which is active while the methylation imprint is being established. This study strongly suggests that some cases of Angelman syndrome arise from the absence of imprint-setting transcripts in oocytes and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. More recently, I generated an AS imprinting defect mouse model using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to insert a transcriptional terminator and explore the requirement for transcription in imprinting.

Gainesville, Florida

As a laboratory technician I worked on many projects throughout the lab requiring confocal microscopy, cell culture, creation of insect cell lines, and mortality assays. My primary focus was investigating the effects of fungi on the insect immune system and the transformations of the fungi in vivo.

Gainesville, Florida

I studied entomopathogenic fungi in the lab of Dr. Nemat Keyhani, with a focus on Beauveria bassiana, and their potential roles as natural pesticides. My primary focus was mortality assays of insects exposed to fungi and cell culture work.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Medical Sciences - Genetics

Activities and Societies: Genetics concentration graduate student council representative 2015

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Microbiology And Cell Sciences

Associate Of Arts (A.A.)

Activities and Societies: Phi Theta Kappa