The Coon
Research Group

Our research group has the overarching goal of catalyzing evolution in the rapidly developing field of proteomics and to use these technologies to address fundamental problems in developmental biology.

With emphasis on ion chemistry and instrumentation, we seek to develop and apply new enabling mass spectrometry-based (MS) proteomic technologies. These cutting-edge tools allow us to examine, with unprecedented chemical detail and sensitivity, the molecular events that commit human embryonic stemcells (hES cells) to exit the pluripotent state. Here we are focused on both intracellular signaling and the epigenetic regulation of pluripotency. For the former we ask which branches of the FGF signaling pathway are active in hES cells and which proteins/networks are phosphorylated upon differentiation. Epigenetics is believed to play a critical role in the establishment and maintenance of pluripotency; thus, we have also aimed our new technologies at interpreting the epigenetic codes and monitoring how these messages change during hES cell differentiation.

The Coon Group willl be hosting the 6th International Uppsala Conference on Electron Capture and Transfer Dissociation in December 2008! It will be held at the Monona Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Interviewed by Analytical Chemistry for feature article on our research paper,

 

“Implementation of Electron Transfer Dissociation on a Hybrid Linear Ion Trap-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer” – April, 2007

Interviewed by Genome Technology for feature article, “Modification Marathon” – March, 2007

Interviewed by Chemical and Engineering News for cover story, “Taming Stem Cells” – January 15, 2007

Featured by Genome Technology as one of  Tomorrow’s PIs, JJC feature article “Mass Spec, But Better” – December 1, 2006

Interviewed by ProteoMonitor Magazine for feature article, “University of Wisconsin’s Josh Coon on Using Electron Transfer Dissociation Technology to Study Proteins” – March 16, 2006