Welcome to the Marks Lab!

The Marks lab studies how cell type-specific lysosome-related organelles are generated from the endolysosomal system of specialized cells. We exploit rare genetic diseases to dissect physiological pathways of organelle biogenesis. While we have worked in several organelle systems in the past, our main focus is on melanosomes, the pigment organelles in skin melanocytes and pigment cells of the eye. Defects in melanosome biogenesis result in non-syndromic or syndromic forms of oculotaneous albinism, and our group exploits mouse models of these disorders to understand the physiological functions of the affected genes.