attioliLab University of Colorado Denver

Decoding alternative isoforms in cancer.

We use high-throughput functional genomics to understand how aberrant RNA processing and gene regulation drive oncogenic cell states.

Welcome

What we study

Over 90% of human genes produce multiple mRNA isoforms, many encoding distinct proteins. Their misregulation is pervasive in cancer, yet which individual isoforms drive disease — and how — remains largely unknown. We leverage and develop high-throughput approaches to interrogate isoform function at scale, focusing on regulatory genes like transcription factors. Our long-term goal is to understand how transcriptomic misregulation drives breast cancer.

Explore our research →

Fig. 1 — Transcription factor isoforms
pre-mRNA · one geneisoform Aisoform BTGACGTTGCCGTΔ molecular propertyΔ cellular function?
A cassette exon is kept (isoform A) or skipped (isoform B), yielding two proteins (here, transcription factors) with different domains and DNA-binding specificity.

Location

Where we’re located

The lab is located on the University of Colorado Denver Auraria Campus, right in the heart of downtown Denver. We are steps from some of the city’s best restaurants, museums, parks, and the South Platte River. You can see the Rockies from our lab! It’s a vibrant, walkable setting for science, and an amazing city to call home.
University of Colorado Denver · Auraria Campus in downtown Denver, CO
University of Colorado Denver · Auraria Campus in downtown Denver, CO

Latest news

News

Jun 2026
The Mattioli Lab is officially opening October 1, 2026 at the University of Colorado Denver!
Dec 2025
Invited review out in Trends in Genetics
Oct 2025
Kaia presented at the Rules of Protein–DNA Recognition meeting in Cancún
Apr 2025
Transcription factor isoform study published in Molecular Cell

Join us

We are a brand new lab, and we are recruiting!

We are building an interdisciplinary, supportive team spanning wet-lab and computational work in downtown Denver. If splicing, gene regulation, genomics, or cancer biology excite you, get in touch.