Major Research Areas
Stem Cells
Stem cells must divide and maintain flexible lineage-options, options that become increasingly restricted during development. As lineage-options change, cells respond in different ways to the same signaling cues. Our research investigates intrinsic and extrinsic factors that regulate development and differentiation of neural stem cells of the brain and the eye. These studies include teratology of alcohol, retinal cell determination, and glycobiology of neural stem cells. Research results are directly tested using in vivo and in vitro models of neurodegenerative disease and cell replacement therapies.
Gerold Feuer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
HTLV pathogenesis and Tax function; Humanized SCID mouse models of hematopoiesis; lentivirus vectors; KSHV/HHV-8 infection and pathogenesis; SCID-hu immune responses against HIV envelope |
M Golam Mohi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Molecular mechanism of leukemia; study the effect of oncogenic mutations in pathogenesis of leukemia using mouse model. |
Huaiyu Hu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Molecular studies of brain malformations. |
Eric Olson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of cerebral cortex development. |
Ziwei Huang, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Discovery and mechanism of action of new pharmacological agents for cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, infectious disease, and stem cell-based regenerative medicine.
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Francesca Pignoni, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Neurogenesis; Retinal Progenitor Cells Specification and Proliferation; Genetic Control of Stem Cell Identity and Maintenance; Genetic Pathways in RPE Formation; Disease Genes Analysis in Drosophila
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William Kerr, Ph.D.
Professor
Transplant immunology and stem cell biology. |
Dennis Stelzner, Ph.D.
Professor
CNS regeneration, spinal cord injury research, and neural plasticity. |
Russell Matthews, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Role of glycoproteins in oncogenesis and brain development |
Andrea Viczian, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Mammalian retinal stem cells formation; molecular mechanism of retinal cell fate decisions; using cell replacement therapy to heal the blinded eye. |
Frank Middleton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Molecular basis of cortical-basal ganglia and cortical-cerebellar circuit formation and dysfunction in neurological and psychiatric disease. |
Michael Zuber, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
The molecular basis of retinal stem cell formation; regulating retinal stem/progenitor cell proliferation; using retinal stem/progenitor cells to heal the injured or degenerating retina. |
Michael Miller, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Factors that regulate the proliferation, migration, and survival/death of neurons in the developing brain; models of fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. |
Back to Research Areas List
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Research Highlight
Richard Wojcikiewicz
Interim Chair, Pharmacology Department
Richard Wojcikiewicz, interim chair of the Pharmacology Department, was recently awarded a $260,589 RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health for his study of intracellular calcium channels (IP3 receptors) and the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway. His work has relevance to clinical researchers studying cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
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