Focused Research Groups
The Basic Mechanisms of Disease research group studies genetic and epigenetic abnormalities, which underlie many human diseases, including inherited disorders and cancer. Other diseases result from infectious agents. Understanding the biochemical, genetic, molecular and epigenetic origins of disease offers the opportunity for treatment of such diseases. Faculty in this group study the origin, etiology, progression and treatment of diseases of multiple organs.
The Cancer Cell Biology research group studies the mechanisms underlying the development of tumors, providing significant new insight to the identification and treatment of a variety of cancers. Scientists in this group range from those who study the basic processes of how cells divide to those who are actively involved in clinical trials for new cancer chemotherapeutics. This group has expertise in cancer epigenetics, cancer genomics, cancer metastasis, cancer stem cells and therapeutic development.
Many key developmental events are regulated by intercellular signaling molecules, often in the form of secreted proteins acting through cell surface receptors. Defective cell signaling is a major cause of many human cancers where overactive or unregulated signals lead to excessive cell proliferation and inappropriate cell survival. The Cell Signaling and Development research group focuses on understanding mechanisms of cell-cell signaling and development in organisms ranging from plants through invertebrates to mammals.
The regulated expression of genes is critical for normal cellular homeostasis. Defects in this process are associated with uncontrolled proliferation commonly associate with tumorigenesis. Research faculty in the Epigenetics, Genomics and Chromatin research group share an interest in the mechanisms governing genome organization, regulated gene expression, chromatin structure, and the fidelity of chromosome distribution during mitosis and meiosis.
Primary Faculty
Richard L. Carpenter, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Research: Transcription factor regulation in cancer cells
Research groups: Basic Mechanisms of Disease
Cancer Cell Biology
Cell Signaling and Development
Epigenetics, Genomics and Chromatin
David L. Daleke, PhD
Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Research: Assembly and maintenance of the cell membrane
Research group: Basic Mechanisms of Disease
Peter C. Hollenhorst, PhD
Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Research: Mechanisms of transcription factor specificity in cancer
Resarch groups: Basic Mechanisms of Disease
Cancer Cell Biology
Epigenetics, Genomics and Chromatin
Anirban K. Mitra, PhD
Associate Professor of Medical & Molecular Genetics
Research: Regulation of ovarian cancer metastasis by reciprocal interactions with the microenvironment
Research groups: Basic Mechanisms of Disease
Cancer Cell Biology
Cell Signaling and Development
Epigenetics, Genomics and Chromatin
Kenneth P. Nephew, PhD
Professor of Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Research: Cancer epigenetics/epigenomics in ovarian & breast cancer
Research groups: Basic Mechanisms of Disease
Cancer Cell Biology
Epigenetics, Genomics and Chromatin
Heather M. O'Hagan, PhD
Associate Professor of Medical & Molecular Genetics
Research: Inflammation mediated epigenetic alterations in cancer
Research groups: Basic Mechanisms of Disease
Cancer Cell Biology
Epigenetics, Genomics and Chromatin
Jia Shen, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medical & Molecular Genetics
Research: Cancer stem cell biology and cancer immunotherapy.
Research groups: Basic Mechanisms of Disease, Cancer Cell Biology, Cell Signaling and Development, and Epigenetics, Genomics and Chromatin.
Claire E. Walczak, PhD
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Research: Mitotic spindle assembly, chromosome alignment and segregation
Research groups: Cancer Cell Biology
Epigenetics, Genomics and Chromatin
Affiliate Faculty
Manuel Baizabal, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biology
Research:
Transcriptional and epigenetic control of neuronal fate-specification in the developing cortex
Evolution of transcriptional regulation in cortical neural stem cells
The role of chromatin-modifications in maintaining neuronal identity and function
Research Areas:
Chromatin, Chromosomes, and Genome Integrity
Developmental Mechanism and Regulation in Eukaryotic Systems
Genomics and Bioinformatics
Evolution
Brian Calvi, PhD
Professor of Biology
Research: Cell cycle control of DNA replication and genome stability
Research groups: Cancer Cell Biology
Cell Signaling and Development
Epigenetics, Genomics and Chromatin
Charles Dann, PhD
Associate Professor
Research: Determining atomic resolution structures of RNA and protein macromolecules by X-ray crystallography
Roger Innes, PhD
Professor of Biology
Research: Molecular genetics of plant/pathogen interactions
Research group: Cell Signaling and Development
Justin Kumar, PhD
Professor of Biology
Research: Specification, patterning and proliferation of the developing retina
Research groups: Basic Mechanisms of Disease
Cell Signaling and Development
Sid Shaw, PhD
Professor of Biology
Research: Microtubule dynamics and cellular morphogenesis in Arabidopsis
Research groups: Basic Mechanisms of Disease
Cell Signaling and Development
Jason Tennessen, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology
Research: Molecular mechanisms that regulate the onset of aerobic glycolysis
Research group: Cancer Cell Biology
Dan Tracey, PhD
Professor of Biology
Research: Molecular and cellular mechanisms of nociception (pain) and of touch sensation
Research group: Cell Signaling and Development
Lesley Weaver, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biology
Research Groups:
Developmental Mechanisms and Regulation in Eukaryotic Systems
Eukaryotic Cell Biology, Cytoskeleton, and Signaling
Andrew Zelhof, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology
Research Groups:
Developmental Mechanisms and Regulation in Eukaryotic Systems
Eukaryotic Cell Biology, Cytoskeleton, and Signaling