Mandë Holford
The Holford lab studies venoms and venomous animals as agents of molecular change and medicinal innovations. Specifically, I am interested in how venoms direct the evolution of organisms and how they can improve human lives. My research demonstrates the scientific path from mollusks to medicine, examining how venoms evolved over time in marine mollusks (snails, squids, octopuses, and cuttlefish), and how we can use this evolutionary knowledge as a roadmap for discovering and characterizing peptide natural products with therapeutic potential. I am particularly interested in using venoms to study rapidly evolving genes and to develop invertebrate venom gland model systems that can be genetically manipulated to advance discoveries in gene expression and physiological function. My work combines scientific research, education and diplomacy to understand the extraordinary marine biodiversity on our planet and transform this knowledge for the benefit of human and planetary health. I co-founded Killer Snails, LLC, an award winning EdTech company that uses tabletop, digital, and XR games about nature as a conduit to advance scientific learning in K-12 classrooms.
The Salata Institute
The Salata Institute supports interdisciplinary research that leads to real-world action, including high-risk/high-reward projects by researchers already working in the climate area and new endeavors that make it easier for Harvard scholars, who have not worked on climate problems, to do so. Faculty interested in the Climate Research Clusters program should note an upcoming deadline for concepts on April 1, 2024.