About the Lab
"To put it simply, we want people to get the most 鈥渂ang for their bite.鈥
The Dzakovich Lab鈥檚 research program is broadly focused on the mechanisms and regulation of phytochemical metabolism in plants, how phytochemicals are absorbed from the diet, and how plant foods impact human health.
Our long-term goal is to help develop nutritionally enhanced crop cultivars and define agricultural practices that meet the unique challenges of our growing population. To accomplish this goal, we work at the interface of plant physiology, genetics, analytical chemistry, and nutrition to holistically understand how changes in plants affect human health. Our group endeavors to both answer basic questions in plants and animals while providing translational outputs that benefit consumers.
Primary Investigator
Dr. Dzakovich鈥檚 research interests: multidisciplinary approaches to determine how genetic and environmental manipulation can be used to enhance the nutritional quality of plant based foods and determine how the chemical components of foods influence our health.
Research Projects
View a listing of the current research studies for the Dzakovich Lab
Publications
Our research projects and studies result in publications in PubMed and other scientific journals.
How Can We Help?
- High-throughput analytical method development for phytochemicals and their metabolites
- UHPLC, UHPLC-MS/MS, and UHPLC-HRMS based quantification and compound identification
- Untargeted metabolomics experimental design, screening, and analysis
- High-throughput in vitro digestion assays for water and fat soluble phytochemicals
- Cell culture models (e.g. Caco-2) for absorption, metabolism, and transport of minerals and phytochemicals
- Controlled environment research (greenhouse and reach/walk-in growth chambers)
- Hydroponic crop production
- Non-radioactive intrinsic labeling of crops
- Establishing and managing diversity panels and mapping populations
- Conducting QTL and association analyses
- DNA/RNA extraction from plant and animal tissues
- Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses
- Analysis of RNA-seq and untargeted metabolomics datasets
- Custom 3D printing of labware or experimental devices
USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center
The Dzakovich Lab is part of the Children's Nutrition Research Center which houses state-of-the-art laboratories, a vast array of equipment, a greenhouse, observation labs, research volunteer accommodations, a metabolic kitchen, and an elite group of scientists conducting groundbreaking research.
Michael Dzakovich Lab
USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center
1100 Bates Ave.
Houston, TX 77030
Email: Michael.Dzakovich@usda.gov