Emeryville, California

Cameron MacQuarrie

Cell biologist at Arcadia Science. I test whether unusual organisms can model human disease, and build the imaging it takes to find out.

Run a simulation Read the papers

01 — Work

What I work on

Finding the right organism for the question

Most human disease work happens in a handful of species. Computational biologists at Arcadia score how closely each organism's predicted protein structures match the human versions, and surface the ones that come out closer than their evolutionary distance would suggest — that analysis is searchable in Zoogle. My part is downstream of it: taking those candidates to the bench and working out whether they behave like usable models.

  • Model organisms
  • Disease models
  • Bench validation

Imaging and phenotyping

Unusual organisms rarely come with established assays, so much of the work is building them: quantitative live-cell imaging, high-content and 3D phenotyping, and working out how to measure a phenotype in a species nobody has measured before.

  • Live imaging
  • Phenotyping
  • Microscopy

Earlier: the actin cytoskeleton

My PhD was on branched actin in fission yeast — how a cell positions the machinery that builds it. The adaptor Bbc1 controls where the WASP protein Wsp1 sits within an endocytic patch, which changes how far the patch internalises. My postdoc moved to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, asking how the Arp2/3 complex is regulated in an organism with no conventional nucleation-promoting factors. The endocytosis sandbox below is built from the thesis.

  • S. pombe
  • Chlamydomonas
  • Arp2/3

Previously

  • 2021–present Scientist · Arcadia Science · Emeryville, CA
    • Chlamydomonas
    • Volvox
    • Chlorella
    • Tetraselmis
    • Micromonas
    • Isochrysis
    • Phaeodactylum
    • Nannochloropsis
    • Paramecium
    • Tetrahymena
    • Euglena
    • Dictyostelium
    • Candida
  • 2020–21 Postdoc, Avasthi Lab · Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth · Hanover, NH
    • Chlamydomonas
  • 2014–20 PhD, Sirotkin Lab · SUNY Upstate Medical University · Syracuse, NY · thesis
    • S. pombe
    • H. sapiens cell lines
    • M. musculus
  • 2010–14 B.Sc. Molecular Biology · Lipscomb University · Nashville, TN Summer research in the Williams Lab and the Millimaki Lab
    • C. elegans
    • H. sapiens cell lines

02 — Playground

Papers you can play

Four models from the work below, written in Python and run in your browser via Pyodide — no server, no install. The first is a sandbox built from my thesis: pick a genotype and watch a fission yeast endocytic patch succeed or fail the way the mutants actually do.

Downloads the Pyodide runtime (~10 MB) the first time.

03 — Publications

Publications

Complete list, newest first. Everything from Arcadia is open access on The Stacks, published as the work happens — including observations and dead ends that wouldn’t clear the bar for a conventional paper. Live indexes: Google Scholar · ORCID.

2026

  1. An automated workflow for kit-based ELISAs

    Braverman B, Bulow C, Futia R

    Arcadia Science Contributor Read

  2. Evaluation of Alcalase pretreatment for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CRISPR knock-in

    Futia R, Kraemer J, Caddell D

    Arcadia Science Contributor Read doi:10.57844/arcadia-pdu7-q2zz

  3. Marine Broth induces extreme morphological transformations in Chlamydomonas smithii

    MacQuarrie C

    BioStudies Database Dataset doi:10.6019/s-biad2873

  4. Modular CRISPR landing pads for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

    Bigge BM, MacQuarrie CD, Bulow C, Futia R, Caddell D

    Arcadia Science Read

  5. Morphological transformation of Chlamydomonas smithii grown in Marine Broth medium

    Mets DG, MacQuarrie CD

    Arcadia Science Read

2025

  1. Chlamydomonas cpc1-1 mutant exhibits unexpected growth phenotypes

    Mets DG, MacQuarrie CD

    Arcadia Science Read

2024

  1. Enabling integrative cell biology with the Arcadia Chlamydomonas Diversity Collection

    York R, Avasthi P, Braverman B, Essock-Burns T, Garcia G, Gehring J, MacQuarrie CD, et al.

    Molecular Biology of the Cell Abstract Find it

  2. High-throughput analysis of phenotypic variation between interfertile Chlamydomonas species

    Avasthi P, Braverman B, Essock-Burns T, Garcia G III, Gehring J, MacQuarrie CD, et al.

    Molecular Biology of the Cell Abstract Find it

  3. Live 3D-imaging of unicellular algae for high-content phenotyping

    Avasthi P, Essock-Burns T, Garcia G III, Matus DQ, MacQuarrie CD, et al.

    Molecular Biology of the Cell Abstract Find it

  4. Morphological and motility differences in interfertile Chlamydomonas algal species: technological advancements in quantitative analysis

    Garcia G, Celebi F, Essock-Burns T, Hochstrasser M, MacQuarrie CD, et al.

    Molecular Biology of the Cell Abstract Find it

  5. Raman spectroscopy enables rapid and inexpensive exploration of biology

    Avasthi P, Patton AH, Mets DG, Bigge BM, York R, Braverman B, Essock-Burns T, Lane R

    Arcadia Science Contributor Read

  6. Rescuing Chlamydomonas motility in mutants modeling spermatogenic failure

    Mets DG, MacQuarrie CD, Essock-Burns T, Lane R

    Arcadia Science Read

    The two mutants are not slower in the same way: cpc1-1 loses more speed, ida4 more sprint.
    ida4 (DNALI1 / SPGF83) ida4 (DNALI1 / SPGF83) mean linear speed: 44% below WT 44% below WT ida4 (DNALI1 / SPGF83) longest sprint: 45% below WT 45% below WT cpc1-1 (SPEF2 / SPGF43) cpc1-1 (SPEF2 / SPGF43) mean linear speed: 56% below WT 56% below WT cpc1-1 (SPEF2 / SPGF43) longest sprint: 30% below WT 30% below WT mean linear speed longest sprint
    Six compounds at 50 µM. Rescue is mutation-specific — linsitinib improves cpc1-1 and makes ida4 worse; only Torin2 helps both.
    ida4 cpc1-1 Torin2 Torin2 on ida4: recoveredrecovered Torin2 on cpc1-1: recoveredrecovered TAK-063 TAK-063 on ida4: no changeno change TAK-063 on cpc1-1: recoveredrecovered Linsitinib Linsitinib on ida4: worseworse Linsitinib on cpc1-1: recoveredrecovered Ibudilast Ibudilast on ida4: worseworse Ibudilast on cpc1-1: recoveredrecovered Dynarrestin Dynarrestin on ida4: no changeno change Dynarrestin on cpc1-1: recoveredrecovered ATP ATP on ida4: no changeno change ATP on cpc1-1: recoveredrecovered recovered no change worse

  7. The phenotype-o-mat: a flexible tool for collecting visual phenotypes

    Mets DG, York R, Braverman B

    Arcadia Science Contributor Read

2023

  1. Inducing protoplast formation in Phaeodactylum tricornutum by silica deprivation, enzymatic treatment, or cytoskeletal inhibition

    Avasthi P, Radkov A, MacQuarrie CD

    Arcadia Science Read doi:10.57844/arcadia-fh8f-xz51

    Alcalase works reliably. The cytoskeletal inhibitors gave about 50% protoplasts in the first two trials and 0% on every attempt afterwards.
    (-)-Blebbistatin, trials 1-2 ~50% protoplast formation 50% protoplasts Alcalase 0.3-0.6 U/mL 33-43% of cells formed protoplasts 38% protoplasts cytoskeletal drugs, later trials 0% on every replication attempt 0% protoplasts

  2. Phenotypic differences between interfertile Chlamydomonas species

    Avasthi P, Mets DG, York R, Braverman B, MacQuarrie CD, Essock-Burns T, Matus DQ, Garcia G III

    Arcadia Science Read

  3. ProteinCartography: comparing proteins with structure-based maps for interactive exploration

    Avasthi P, Celebi FM, Cheveralls K, Bigge BM, Radkov A, Sun DA, Gehring J, McGeever E, Mishne G

    Arcadia Science Contributor Read

2022

  1. Chlorarachniophytes form light- and Arp2/3 complex-dependent extensions that are involved in motility and predation

    Avasthi P, MacQuarrie CD

    Arcadia Science Read doi:10.57844/arcadia-eqg7-kf54

2020

  1. Mechanisms of Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein Wsp1 positioning and regulation at sites of endocytosis in S. pombe

    MacQuarrie CD

    PhD thesis, SUNY Upstate Medical University Thesis Read

    Chapter 3. Losing Vrp1 costs the patch about a third of its actin and a third of its reach. Bars are the midpoint of each reported range: actin 33–43%, internalisation 28–40%, Hob1 25–29%.
    patch actin Reduced 33-43% 38% lower End4 internalisation Reduced 28-40% 34% lower Hob1 accumulation Reduced 25-29% 27% lower

2019

  1. First person – Cameron MacQuarrie

    MacQuarrie CD

    Journal of Cell Science Interview doi:10.1242/jcs.237727

  2. The S. pombe adaptor protein Bbc1 regulates localization of Wsp1 and Vrp1 during endocytic actin patch assembly

    MacQuarrie CD, Mangione MSC, Carroll R, James M, Gould KL, Sirotkin V

    Journal of Cell Science 132: jcs233502 doi:10.1242/jcs.233502

    Distance travelled by the tip markers End4 and Ent1, the readout for force generated. Deleting Bbc1 doubles it; removing the Myo1 SH3 domain that retains Wsp1 cancels that again.
    wild type Reference: 0.5 um 0.5 µm bbc1Δ Twice wild type 1.0 µm bbc1Δ sla1Δ Still twice 1.0 µm sla1Δ Unchanged - Sla1 terminates, it does not position 0.5 µm bbc1Δ myo1-SH3-LCA Rescue: removing Wsp1 retention cancels bbc1Δ 0.5 µm

2018

  1. Adaptor protein Bbc1 regulates localization of Wsp1 and Vrp1 during endocytic actin patch assembly

    MacQuarrie CD, Mangione MSC, Carroll R, James M, Gould KL, Sirotkin V

    bioRxiv Preprint doi:10.1101/389015

05 — Contact

Get in touch

Happy to talk about organisms, microscopy, and phenotyping.

cameron.macquarrie@arcadiascience.com
Arcadia Science
6401 Hollis St, Suite 100
Emeryville, CA 94608