Our Research Focus

The Ortiz-Rodríguez Lab at the University of Maryland studies how RNA is organized and regulated inside living bacteria. Founded in 2026, the lab combines single-molecule imaging, super-resolution microscopy, and quantitative analysis to uncover the molecular mechanisms that control RNA localization, translation, storage, and degradation.​

Research Directions

Spatial organization of bacterial gene expression

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Bacterial cells are small, crowded, and highly organized. Chromosomes, ribosomes, RNA-processing machinery, biomolecular condensates, and regulatory factors create intracellular environments that influence where mRNAs move and how they function. Our lab investigates how this spatial organization shapes gene expression during growth, stress, and adaptation.

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RNA stability and bacterial biomolecular condensates

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​Every mRNA faces multiple possible outcomes. These decisions are shaped by ribosomes, RNA-binding proteins, RNA-processing enzymes, biomolecular condensates, and the physical organization of the cytoplasm. Our previous work showed that bacterial ribonucleoprotein bodies, known as BR bodies, can switch between distinct material states that alter their function and regulate RNA stability. Building from this discovery, we seek to understand how dynamic intracellular compartments influence RNA fate.

Development and Optimization of New Tools to Visualize mRNA Metabolism

A major goal is to create minimally perturbative RNA-labeling and reporter systems that allow individual transcripts to be followed through multiple stages of their life cycle. We are particularly interested in combining photoactivatable fluorescent proteins, RNA-binding systems, and genetically encoded reporters with quantitative microscopy to simultaneously measure where an mRNA is, how it moves, whether it is being translated, and when it is degraded.

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