We study the molecular biophysics of parasite cytoskeletons

The Sladewski Laboratory at SUNY Upstate Medical University in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology studies how evolutionary changes in cytoskeletal proteins reshape actin network dynamics and cellular behavior. Using interdisciplinary approaches spanning protein biochemistry, single-molecule biophysics, advanced light microscopy, and evolutionary analysis, we investigate how molecular variation rewires the rules governing actin filament assembly and organization. By leveraging natural evolutionary diversity across organisms—from protozoan parasites to humans—we uncover fundamental principles of cytoskeletal function and how these systems adapt to support new biological processes such as parasitism.