This page describes the research interests of over 200 researchers who are members of the BSTP training programs. The wide range of research areas represented here highlights the strength of the BSTP, which allows students to choose a thesis topic in almost any area of the biomedical sciences.
PhD trainers provide intellectual and financial support to students during their education and represent the most important mentors for the scientific
development of young researchers. Trainers are periodically reviewed. For more information, please contact Dr.
Alison Hall.
Many of the faculty members listed below have web pages that describe their research in more depth. Names that are underlined are linked to those pages. Clicking on a link will open the page in a new browser window.
| | Innate Immune and Inflammatory Signaling |
| | Responses of cells to extracellular matrix, especially thrombospondin-1. Roles of filopodia and lamellipodia in cell migration and invasion. Signaling mechanisms by which cell coordinate adhesions to extracellular matrix |
| | Application of genomic-scale technologies to the analysis of mouse models of complex disease, comparative genomics |
| | Genes associated with development and regeneration of sensory hair cells in the ear, protocadherins and deafness. |
| | Clinical problems arising from 2q37 deletion syndrome. |
| | Mechanisms of cell cycle control and cell death in tumor cells. |
| | Biocompatability, immune responses to foreign materials, phagocytosis, inflammation |
| | Enzyme reaction mechanisms; Protein-protein interactions; Protein oxidation; Mass spectrometry |
| | RNA surveillance mechanisms; exosome structure and function; regulation of transcription elongation; heat shock gene expression |
| | HIV-1 drug resistance to nucleoside and chemokine analogs; HIV-1 evolution and emergence of drug resistance in Africa. |
| | Embryonic skin development |
| | Specification and control of neuronal progenitors. Hedgehog signaling in mammalian development and diseases |
| | Replication and pathogenicity of negative strand RNA viruses |
| | Mechanistic studies of the enzymes and protein complexes involved in DNA replication and DNA methylation |
| | Structure function studies of Class A beta-lactamases. Understanding enzymological factors that permit the successful evolution of beta-lactamases in the clinic. Development of immunological tools to study beta-lactamase expression in enteric bacilli. |
| | CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, gamma delta T cells, tuberculosis, cytokines, antigen processing, anti-microbial immunity, HIV-1, pulmonary host defense |
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| | Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases, cell adhesion, and signal transduction; PTPs in adherens junctions and desmosomes. |
| | Genetic and molecular analyses of motorneuron specification and differentiation |
| | Metabolic regulation, ketone body metabolism, design and testing of synthetic nutrients, ethanol metabolism, lipogenesis |
| | RNA processing; trans-splicing; splicing factors; examination of splicing mechanisms especially splice-site interaction; developmentally regulated phosphorylation of splicing factors |
| | The structures and the dynamics of proteins involved in protein-protein interactions |
| | Cytokine signaling in normal and malignant hematopoiesis; hematopoietic stem cell biology |
| | Developmental and cell biology and biochemistry of muscle, cartilage, bone, skin and connective tissue, with emphasis on how stem cells differentiate under conditions of tissue-engineered regeneration |
| | RNA-protein interactions; RNA catalysis and intron mobility |
| | Enzyme mechanisms, Raman spectroscopy, proteases, physical biochemistry |
| | Receptor tyrosine kinase signaling, human adenoviruses, protein sorting |
| | Signal transduction pathways regulating monocyte inflammatory responses including the production of superoxide anion via NADPH oxidase, expression of 15-lipoxygenase and regulation of the extravasation of blood monocytes into tissues via MCP-1 chemotaxis. |
| | Structure of macromolecular complexes, cellular proteomics and mass spectrometry, high-throughout structural biology and structural genomics |
| | Role of myocardial energy metabolism on contractile function in pathophysiological conditions such as heart failure, cardiac hypertrophy, demand-induced ischemia and type II diabetes |
| | Aging; cell biology; dementia; degenerative disease; neuroscience; prion disease; protein chemistry |
| | Neural networks, electrophysiology, modeling, Aplysia, biomechanics, feeding behavior. |
| | Cellular effects of bioactive products of lipoprotein oxidation in inflammation and atherosclerosis. Intracellular signaling events of apoptosis in vascular cells induced by bioactive lipids. Genetically altered mouse models of vascular disease. |
| | HIV-1 pathogenesis and vaccine development; Protein structure and function; Virus-host interaction; Viral immunology |
| | Adaptive immune responses to carbohydrate-encapsulated bacterial pathogens, utilizing confocal microscopy, analytical biochemistry, animal models, fluorescence spectroscopy, and traditional cellular immunology. |
| | Regulation of the translation rate of cellular mRNAs. Movement of mRNAs from ribosomes to P-bodies as a mechanism of translational control. |
| | Targeted Mutagenesis in Mice, Gene controlling morphogenesis and pattern formation in mice, New Approaches to Genome Mapping in the Mouse |
| | Psoriasis; atopic dermatitis; autoimmunity; cutaneous immunobiology; UV and solar effects; immunomodulatory therapy |
| | Metabolism, CAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (C/EBP beta), transcription, Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), knockout animal models, perinatal metabolism. |
| | Function and regulation of TGF-b in the prostate. |
| | Structure-function studies of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator; gene therapy directed at airway and other epithelial cells |
| | To study the structure-function relationship of macromolecules using structural biology and biochemical tools. |
| | Bacterial molecular genetics; biochemistry and cell biology; formation of the division of septum and related cell cycle events |
| | Mechanism of RNA polymerase-DNA interactions; Mechanism and control of initiation of RNA synthesis |
| | Mechanisms of neuronal gene expression, cholinergic and serotonergic transmitter systems. |
| | Regulation of cell death, innate immunity, tumor microenvironment, intracellular iron transport |
| | Motor systems, respiratory pattern generator, electrophysiology. |
| | Endothelial Cell Expression of Leukocyte Adhesion Molecules. Homeobox Gene Expression by the Endothelium. Regulation of PDGF Production by the Endothelium. |
| | Steroid hormone action; programmed cell death; apoptosis. |
| | RNA editing, translational recoding events, posttranscriptioanl gene regulation |
| | Cystic Fibrosis; Site-Directed Mutagenesis; Structure-Function of Ion Channels |
| | Signal transduction involving receptors for extracellular ATP; inflammatory signal transduction mechanisms; mechanisms of nucleotide release and extracellular metabolism. |
| | Computational Neuroscience, electrophysiology, hippocampus. |
| | Regulation of cytoskeletal force generation; nonmuscle myosin and actin dynamics, cell migration and cytokinesis; cancer cell migration; skin wound healing |
| | Hypersensitivity, autoimmunity, complement, arthritis, inflammation, glomerulonephritis |
| | Clinical cancer genetics |
| | Function of CD36, a cell surface scavenger receptor. Role of CD36 in macrophage biology, atherosclerosis, diabetes and fatty acid metabolism |
| | Dissecting the genetic mechanisms of dopamine neurotransmission-related human diseases |
Fiocchi, Claudio | Pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease |
| | Regulation of Endothelial Cell Motility, Role of Ceruloplasmin in Inflammation and Atherosclerosis, Iron Homeostasis |
| | Calcium homeostasis, electrophysiology, ion channels, modulation, optical methods for measuring Ca2+, modeling. |
| | Biophysical mechanisms underlying neuronal synchronization and the formation of spatiotemporal patterns of neural activity. |
| | Prion disease, neurodegenerative disorders, prion protein, protein conformation, transgenic animals, transfected cells, animal models, cell models, prion protein gene, spongiosis, anatomical-clinical correlation, polymorphism, genotype phenotype correla |
| | Protein structure and dynamics; NMR techniques; molecular modeling of glycoproteins and mucins |
| | Transgenic mice and carcinogenesis, retroviral gene therapy, DNA repair, hematopoietic stem cells |
| | RNA editing mechanisms, control of gene expression, Physarum genetics |
| | Osteoporosis, loosening of orthopaedic implants, cytokines, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, bone resorption, cell-cell interactions |
| | Biomarker(s) for early detection and prognosis of prostate cancer; molecular targets for prevention and treatment of prostate cancer; chemoprevention of prostate cancer by dietary agents; epigenetic mechanisms of gene silencing and its reactivation by natural agents |
| | Developmental neurobiology, cell lineage and determination in the peripheral nervous system, regulation of neurogenesis |
| | Mechanism of bacterial pathogenesis in periodontal disease and preterm birth. Host-pathogen interactions. Bacterial adhesin structure-function analysis. Vaccine development |
| | Metabolism, gene transcription, hormones, transgenic animals, retroviral vectors, transcription factors, gene therapy |
| | Immunology, MHC, antigen processing, T cell, phagocytosis, endocytosis, subcellular fractionation, mycobacteria, tumor immunity |
| | Structure and function of large ribozymes (RNA enzymes) including ribonuclease P RNA. |
| | Transcription Activation; Repression; Chromatin Structure; Homeotic Genes |
| | The adenovirus E 1 A protein: providing insight into pathways that control cell proliferation and differentiation |
| | Arginine metabolism, gene regulation, viral receptors and gene therapy |
| | Biochemical mechanisms of oxidant stress and inflammation in cardiovascular disease and asthma |
| | G-protein function and modulation of presynaptic calcium channels in hippocampal neurons and in C. elegans. |
| | Innate immune responses to microbial pathogens and parasites. |
| | Role of carnitine in the control of fatty acid oxidation; carnitine biosynthesis and metabolism at the cellular and clinical levels. |
| | Role of transforming growth factor (TGF) beta in growth inhibition, cellular differentiation, and apoptosis. Function of intracellular mediators (Smads, MAPK, Dab2, Dvl, Bim) in these processes. |
| | Localization of proteins and chemical intermediates invloved in phototransduction and the visual cycle. |
| | Molecular mechanisms underlying metabolism of glucose; transmembrane transport of glucose. |
Jacobberger, James | Oncogene expression/cell proliferation, cell cycle regulation, immortalization of cells, analytical cytology, SV40 T-antigen |
| | Vascular cell biology, Molecular and cellular biochemistry of homocysteine, Vascular biochemistry of vitamin B12 |
| | Single molecule enzymology (RNA helicases) & single molecule studies of ribonucleoprotein machinery (HCV replication and pre-mRNA splicing) |
| | Voltage dependent ion channels, electrophysiology, patch clamp, Ca2+ currents, K+ currents. |
| | Regulation of Gene Expression. Signaling pathways controlled by transcription co-repressors and histone deacetylases |
| | HIV, AIDS, transcription, chromatin, retroviral vectors |
| | Regulatory interactions in development of the nervous system, neurotransmitter phenotypes, neural growth factors. |
| | immunoregulatory mechanisms of pathogenesis; acquired resistance to infection; malaria |
Kelley, Thomas | Inflammatory processes in cystic fibrosis lung disease, inflammatory cell signaling mechanisms |
| | Hormonal control of mammary gland development and construction of transgenic mouse models of breast cancer; functional genomics of mammary gland development and cancer. |
| | Pathogenesis and prevention of retinopathy and other complications of diabetes; vascular cell apoptosis. |
| | T cell differentiation, malaria, schistosomiasis, filariasis, neonatal immunity, IgE regulation, mechanisms of acquired immunity |
| | Nutrient metabolism, insulin action, body composition, and physical activity. Effects of age, exercise, and diet on glucose-lipid metabolism and growth regulation in pregnancy. |
| | Molecular pathology of neurodegenerative diseases, inducible/conditional transgenic/knockout animal model systems |
| | Ion channels, neural electrophysiology. |
| | Pre-mRNA alternative splicing regulation in vertebrate heart and muscle development |
| | Developing and applying computational tools to identify molecular variants that contribute to cancer and related diseases in humans. |
| | Alzheimer's Disease, Transgenic Mouse Models, Mouse Models of Human Disease |
| | Formation of neural circuits, growth cone guidance, synapse plasticity, activity dependant processes. |
| | Nerve growth factor, protein kinases, MAP 2 kinase, Alzheimer's disease. |
| | Cellular therapies utilizing umbilical cord blood stem cells, lymphocytes and other phenotypes to both complement and advance current patient treatments for cancer and other diseases |
| | Immune mechanisms and immune restoration in HIV infection |
| | T cell biology, immunity vs tolerance, autoimmune diseases, anti-tumor immunity, anti-microbial immunity, vaccinations against tumors and microorganisms, immunotherapy of autoimmune disease |
| | Intestinal Host Defense: Immune tolerance, immune protection, and colon cancer |
| | Signal transduction in innate and adaptive immunity |
| | Alternative RNA processing and its role in cancer development |
| | Mouse models for RecQ DNA helicase diseases and transposon-tagged mutagenesis in mice |
| | Eukaryotic gene transcription and RNA polymerase |
| | Vitamin D and vitamin D receptor-mediated gene expression, nuclear receptor coactivators, nuclear receptors and mechanisms of transcriptional regulation |
| | Regulatory elements of the myelin proteolipid protein gene. Effects of mutations in the myelin proteolipid protein gene. Oligodendrocyte differentiation on normal and mutant animals. |
| | Roles of magnesium and manganese in bacterial pathogenesis. Magnesium and manganese transport proteins and metal dependent enzymes in Salmonella invasion and intracellular survival in macrophages, epithelial cells and mice. |
| | Signal transduction pathways that regulate normal cell growth and that are disrupted by oncogenic mutations. Molecular mechanisms by which some chemo-preventative agents, such as vitamin E, offer protection from cancer. |
| | Molecular biology of colon cancer; functional influence of oncogenes and suppressor genes on transformation, metastasis, and response to therapies |
| | Management of inborn errors of metabolism, Prader-Willi syndrome |
| | Neurobiology of the auditory hair cell: From functional analyses of mechanotransduction and synaptic transmission to its development and its role in deafness using the zebrafish model system |
| | Direct visualization of intra- and intercellular trafficking of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus |
| | Role of signaling molecules, particularly lipids, that control and modulate rapid cellular interactions and intracellular functions in human inflammation. Enzymes that make and inactivate lipid signaling molecules, and their roles in human disease. |
| | Complement regulation; GPI anchor pathway; cell surface engineering |
| | Mechanism and regulation of eukaryotic protein biosynthesis |
| | Enzymatic reaction mechanisms involved in intracellular sulfhydryl homeostasis, drug and xenobiotic metabolism, and cancer chemotherapy. |
| | Developmental neurobiology, glial function, CNS pattern formation |
| | Molecular mechanisms of retinal light damage and development of proteomic methods. |
| | Germ cell migration and development of the mammalian gonad |
| | Molecular mechanisms of protein aging, oxidative stress, complications of diabetes and aging, cataractogenesis, microbial enzyme technology |
| | Mechanism of action of estrogens and antiestrogens in cancer. |
| | Lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, cholesterol homeostasis, regulation of adipocyte lipid storage |
| | Comparative Mapping and Mouse Models of Human Disease; Networks of Control of Gene Expression; Genetic and Phenotypic Dissection of Complex Traits Using Mouse Genomics |
| | heat shock proteins in lens cell apoptosis; chaperone and anti-apoptotic functions of crystallins & Hsp27; capillary cell apoptosis in diabetic retinopathy; sugar and tryptophan metabolites in cataract formation; prevention of protein damage in diabetes |
| | Transcriptional and post-transcriptional control of cytokine production by ethanol, effect of ethanol on insulin resistance, innate immunity and liver disease |
| | Interactions of pathogenic mycobacteria with host immune systems. Antibiotic resistance, pathogenesis, cell wall assembly and cell division control in Mycobacterium tuberculosis |
| | RNA processing and transcription in nematodes. Homologous cell free systems are used to dissect in detail the mechanisms of cis- and trans-splicing as well as the transcription of UsnRNA genes |
| | Mechanisms of action and biological functions of nuclear hormone receptors |
| | Kidney disease research |
| | Ionizing, radiation damage, chromatin structure, nuclear matrix of photosensitization-induced apoptosis, signal transduction, photodynamic therapy |
| | Process of RNA splicing in both nuclear pre-mRNA and mitochondrial self-splicing group II introns |
| | Mechanism of rhodopsin functions, rods and cones in the eye, phototransduction |
Park, Paul | Mechanism of action of rhodopsin and other G protein-coupled receptors |
| | Virus infection of the CNS, Molecular Virology, Viral immunology |
| | Inflammation, innate immunity and infectious diseases in the eye |
| | Neuropharmacology and neurochemistry of brain pathways implicated in the regulation of mood, cognition, and reward. |
| | Neuroimmunology, autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis, cytokines, T cells, ELISA spot assay, myelin proteins |
| | Left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction. Role of oxidant activation of metalloproteases during ischemia. Optimization of gene delivery to infarcted myocardium |
| | NMR structural studies of signaling proteins and protein complexes. |
| | Cell signaling mechanisms regulate hematopoietic stem cell function |
| | bacterial pathogenesis; virulence gene regulation and structure-function analysis of toxin secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa |
| | Sensory-motor integration, cockroach, electrophysiology, modeling. |
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| | Regulation of the length of telomere repeats and their role in cell physiology; Genetic pathways controlling gene silencing and cell aging. |
| | Formation of synapses between CNS neurons. |
| | Regulation of RNA Splicing; Drosophila Sex Determination |
Sanabria, Juan | Cold preservation and reperfusion injuries in solid organ transplantation. Cholesterol gallstone physiopathology |
| | Chromatin Modifying Enzymes and DNA Damage response |
| | Biochemical mechanisms for metabolic activation of small molecule neurotoxins, post-translational modification of protein in oxidative stress |
| | Genomics of cancer and other genetic diseases with underlying defects in chromatin structure and function |
| | Understand the molecular mechanisms associated with agonist-induced Ca2+ signaling in mammalian non-excitable cells and in particular, in vascular endothelial cells and renal epithelial cells |
| | Vascular biology of the kallikrein/kinin and renin angiotensin systems, examining the proteins prolylcarboxypeptidase, prekallikrein, factor XII, & high molecular weight kininogen. Development of an anti-platelet drug for heart attacks that is a thrombin and PAR 1 and 4 activation antagonist |
| | Mutational specificity at DNA sequence level, DNA damage and drug access, DNA repair, genetic susceptibility to cancer, colon cancer, mutagens and their specificity |
| | Mammalian gene expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme and interferon; Mechanism of interferon action |
| | Role of glial cells in development and regeneration of neural circuits, nerve regeneration, glia, axon guidance |
| | Molecular mechanisms of the antitumor and antiviral activities of interferons |
| | Developmental vascular cell biology. Pathobiology of "pattern recognition" scavenger receptors as they relate to angiogensis, atherosclerosis, inflammation and retinal homeostatis |
| | Prion diseases, protein transport, chaperones, proteasomes, nuclear import |
| | Mechanism by which chromaffin cells differentially release cargos in an activity-dependent manner |
| | Cholesterol metabolism by macrophages. Genetics of atherosclerosis susceptibility in mouse models. Genetics and drug discovery in mouse models of Alzheimer disease. |
| | Aging, Alzheimer disease, cell cycle control, cytoskeletal organization, neurodegeneration, oxidative stress |
| | Signaling by Interferons, Growth Factors and Cytokines; Genetic Instability and p53 |
| | Synaptic Physiology, hippocampus, olfactory bulb, Computational Neuroscience. |
| | Aging; diseases of protein conformation; amyloid; prion disease; prion protein; Alzheimerís disease; molecular chaperones; heat shock proteins; cataract; protein chemistry; protein folding; protein-membrane interactions; biophysical chemistr |
| | Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, prion diseases |
| | Signaling pathways that determine early pattern formation of vertebrate embryogenesis. Molecular mechanisms of Wnt signaling |
| | SCID mice |
| | Cellular and Molecular Biology of Myelination, Demyelination, and Dysmyelination |
| | Mechanism of splicing. Determining if RNA molecules, which were the primordial catalysts in living systems, still retain catalytic function in the spliceosome, the largest cellular machine in modern eukaryotes. |
| | Multi-facetted structural approach to understanding the molecular signal transduction events of membrane guanylyl cyclase receptors important for blood pressure regulation and bone growth; protein crystallography; second messenger systems |
| | DNA repair, mutation analysis in bacterial and mammalian gene targets, mutagenic effects of nucleotide pool imbalance, colon cancer, genetic susceptibility, environmental mutagens |
| | Asymmetric cell division, cell cycle control, generation and maintenance of polarity, temporal and spatial regulatory mechanisms in bacteria |
| | Role of retinoids in processes ranging from development to vision, cell proliferation and metabolic control. |
| | Molecular mechanisms governing cell migration and proliferation, experimental therapy of cancer metastasis using tumor-targeting peptides. |
| | Role of protein tyrosine phosphatases in cancer; chromosomal instability in cancer. |
| | Human genetics, angiogenesis, development and regulation of the cardiovascular system, electrophysiology, calcium signaling, apoptosis, and gene expression |
| | Development of the neural and vascular systems; angiogenesis; neurogenesis; mouse molecular genetics; angiopoietins; vascular endothelial growth factors; neurotrophins |
| | Heart Development, cardiogenesis, apoptosis, cell signaling, coronary vessel development, lymphagiogenesis, cardiac conduction system |
| | Structural mechanisms of human diseases; Transcriptional deregulation and protein misfolding with applications to diabetes and disorders of sexual development |
| | Genetic dissection of colorectal cancer, familial factors in the development of cancer |
| | Neural basis of adaptive behavior. Odor-guided navigation and flight in insects. |
| | Macromolecular structure, dynamics and interactions using hydrogen/deuterium exchange and mass spectrometry |
| | Mechanism and regulation of pre-mRNA splicing, RNA-protein interactions, fission yeast genetics |
| | Modulation of small neural networks, peptide function and second messenger systems, behavior and biomechanics of feeding in crabs. |
| | Cytokine signal transduction; transcription factors; hematopoiesis |
| | Determination of protein molecular structure using X-ray diffraction and correlation with function. |
| | Genes and molecular pathways that are involved in disease processes in mouse models of human deafness, including Otitis Media (OM) and Usher syndrome |
| | Live imaging of the Hedgehog signal transduction in embryos and cultured cells; Regulating developmental signaling by vesicle trafficking; Sterol-sensing domain containing proteins in embryonic morphogenesis |
| | Neurodegeneration, Alzheimer disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Oxidative stress, Signal transduction, Mitochondria, Cell cycle control |
| | Changes in neuronal gene expression after injury. |
| | Influence of human and parasite genetic polymorphism on pathogenesis of infectious diseases |
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