Programs

Program affiliation
Biomedical Informatics and Data Science

Research summary
I am a physician scientist with research interest in precision medicine and implemenation science. My research areas include tobacco treatment, pharmacogenomics, precision prevention, health informatics, and vulnerable populations.

Key words
Precision Medicine, Implementation Science, Health Informatics, Addiction, Tobacco

Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Neurosciences

Research summary
Molecular mechanisms regulating photoreceptor gene expression in healthy and diseased retinas

Key words
Gene expression regulation, transcription factors, epigenetic regulators, photoreceptor development and degeneration, mouse models, gene therapy

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
I am interested in the structure and function of neuronal ligand-gated ion channels, and the mechanism of channel modulation by lipids and drugs. We seek to use basic structural information to discovery and design small molecule inhibitors of these ion channels that may be developed into analgesics. The lab uses a combination of cryo-EM, assays of ion channel function including electrophysiology, photo-affinity labeling with mass spectrometry, and molecular dynamics simulations.

Key words
structural biology, cryo-EM, ion channels, pharmacology, drug discovery, lipids, allosteric modulation

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Computational and Systems Biology

Research summary
Understanding neuromodulator actions, sleep regulation and sleep, and mechanisms of learning through the spatial and temporal features of biochemical signaling dynamics

Key words
neuromodulator, sleep, dynamics, sensors, actuators, signaling, G protein coupled receptors, imaging, microscopy, learning, plasticity, engineering

Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Understanding the molecular mechanisms of primary nephrotic syndrome (NS)

Key words

Program affiliation
Cancer Biology
Immunology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology

Research summary
Cancer stem cells, oncolytic viruses, and functional genomics of cancer

Key words
Cancer stem cells, oncolytic viruses, and functional genomics of cancer

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
The interface between systems and control engineering, neuroscience and neural medicine

Key words
Control of neural dynamics; Biophysical modeling of multiscale brain networks;

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Immunology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
Understanding the mechanisms that regulate platelet and neutrophil activation and their homotypic and heterotypic interactions under thromboinflammatory conditions.

Key words
Platelet, Neutrophil, Thrombosis, Inflammation, Stroke, Sickle Cell Disease, Intravital microscopy

Program affiliation
Immunology
Molecular Cell Biology
Cancer Biology

Research summary
Understanding T cells and immunoregulatory networks in GvHD and GvL for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies.

Key words
graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), graft-versus-leukemia (GvL), JAK-STAT, very-low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), protein kinase N1 (PKN1), immune cell trafficking, transplant immunology, CRISPR/Cas9

Program affiliation
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Immunology
Cancer Biology
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Angioimmune interface in development, tissue regeneration, and cancer

Key words
Cell fate, transcription factors, hematopoiesis, vascular, development, regeneration, stem cells, tumor angiogenesis, tumor immunity