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Advanced faculty research labs provide research opportunities for medical students on the Bloomington campus at IU School of Medicine.

Faculty Research Labs

The Bloomington campus of IU School of Medicine is home to advanced research labs for faculty and student research endeavors.

Richard Carpenter, PhD
Researchers in this lab uses proteomics, genomics, and bioinformatics to study how transcription factors are regulated in cancer cells and the subsequent genomic programs induced by these transcription factors. We have a strong interest in transcription factors that play a role in tumor progression, metastasis, and angiogenesis.

David Daleke, PhD
Study focuses on molecular mechanisms controlling phospholipid organization in biological membranes, with an emphasis on the effects of diabetes on membrane lipid organization and the characterization and identification of phospholipid transporters, or “flippases.”

John Foley, PhD
Lab studies the epithelial-mesenchyme interactions in the repair and regeneration of specialized skin of the nipple. Information gained from basic studies are directed toward developing a cell-based regeneration nipple strategy for mastectomy patients.

Wayne Forrester, PhD
Lab studies directed cell migration during metazoan development. Abnormal cell migration can lead to the spread of cancer cells. Investigators apply genetic, molecular and genomic approaches to the study cell migration, using the small, experimentally tractable nematode C. elegans.

Peter Hollenhorst, PhD
Researchers in this lab use genomics and bioinformatics approaches to study the mechanisms that ETS family transcription factors use to interact with the genome in an effort to delineate both normal and oncogenic functions of these proteins. 

Polly Husmann, PhD
Research focuses on factors outside of the classroom that affect student learning.  Examples include study habits, metacognitive skills, self-directed, and self-regulated learning.  Studies evaluate these factors in undergraduate, graduate, and medical student populations.

Anirban Mitra, PhD
This lab seeks to understand the paracrine and juxtacrine interactions between cancer cells and their microenvironment that regulate metastatic colonization in ovarian cancer with a specific interest in the regulation of key microRNAs and transcription factors.

Kenneth P. Nephew, PhD
Investigators in this lab are using next generation sequencing technology and computational models to explore the role of epigenetics in ovarian cancer cells, cancer stem cells and resistance to chemotherapy. The team also studies breast cancer, estrogen receptor biology and endocrine resistance.

Heather O’Hagan, PhD
Researchers in this lab study the role of oxidative DNA damage in initiating cancer-specific epigenetic changes. Investigators examine chromatin changes that occur acutely during DNA repair and how the persistence of these changes may lead to heritable changes in gene expression.

Jia Shen, PhD, MS
Shen laboratory utilizes various patient-derived samples and employs a combination of bioinformatic and experimental techniques to unveil the mechanisms of cancer stem cell maintenance and immune evasion, with the goal of developing innovative cancer stem cell-based immunotherapies for brain and other cancers. 

Claire Walczak, PhD
Lab is interested in the molecular mechanisms that govern mitotic spindle assembly and chromosome segregation in both normal and tumor-derived cells. Researchers in this group are developing screening assays to identify new drugs that target microtubule assembly.