Walton Laboratory
Cytoskeletal Structure in Health and Disease
The Walton Lab focuses on the intricate network of fibers within the cell called the cytoskeleton, which is critical for maintaining cell shape and directing intra-cellular transport of cargo. Mutations affecting the cytoskeleton and the motors that walk along it results in human disease.
News & Publications
Learn More
Cutting thinner, seeing deeper: The power of cryo-PFIB
Van Andel Institute’s Dr. Travis Walton awarded prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship
Structural biologist and cellular ‘architecture’ expert Dr. Travis Walton joins Van Andel Institute
Walton T, Gui M, Velkova S, Fassad MR, Hirst RA, Haarman E, O’Callaghan C, Bottier M, Burgoyne T, Mitchinson HM, Brown A. 2023. Axonemal structures reveal mechanoregulatory and disease mechanisms. Nature 618:625–633.
Walton T, Wu H, Brown A. 2021. Structure of a microtubule-bound axonemal dynein. Nat Commun 12:477.
Walton T, Doran MH, Brown A. 2024. Structural determination and modeling of ciliary microtubules. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 80(4):220–231.
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- 141 peer-reviewed papers published in 2025, 74 of which were in high-impact journals
- 15 VAI-SU2C Epigenetics Dream Team clinical trials launched to date
- 10 clinical trials and related projects supported by VAI through the International Linked Clinical Trials Program
Travis Walton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Structural Biology
Areas of Expertise
Structural biology, cryo-EM, cytoskeletal regulation
Biography
Dr. Travis Walton is a structural biologist whose research explores the molecular mechanisms of the cellular cytoskeleton in health and disease.
Dr. Walton earned his B.A.in chemistry and biochemistry/molecular biology from Lewis & Clark College and his Ph.D. in biological and biomedical sciences from Harvard Medical School in the lab of Dr. Jack W. Szostak. He then joined the lab of Dr. Alan Brown at Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow. While there, he leveraged cryo-EM to develop the first full atomic model of the axoneme, the cytoskeletal “backbone” of cilia and flagella. In 2020, Dr. Walton was awarded the prestigious Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in recognition of his research accomplishments.
In 2024, Dr. Walton joined Van Andel Institute’s Department of Structural Biology as an assistant professor. His lab harnesses native methodologies to extract protein complexes from cellular sources for structural and biochemical analyses.
Selected Publications
For a full list of Dr. Walton’s publications, please visit PubMed.
Nancy Duchaine
Senior Administrative Assistant I, Department of Structural Biology
Heather LeFaivre
Assistant Research Technician, Department of Structural Biology
Brandon Russell
Research Technician, Department of Structural Biology