Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Faculty

The Biochemistry and Structural Biology faculty is comprised of noted scientists committed to their students. They are dedicated to quality education and are enthusiastically focused on cutting-edge research discovery.

The faculty’s diverse research interests give solid breadth to the academic environment. Research programs include Drosophila development, yeast genetics and transcription, engineering of transgenic mice, RNA processing, enzymology, thermodynamics, macromolecular structure and metabolism, and in vivo cardiac function.

Faculty members are associated with a number of large research centers including the Multipurpose Arthritis Center, Comprehensive Cancer Center, AIDS Center, Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, Neurosciences Program, Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering, Center for NMR Research and Development, Atherosclerosis Research Unit and Southern Research Institute.

One primary indicator of a superior staff is the extent of outside funding the department receives. UAB ranks among the top public institutions in the U.S. in terms of research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health.  In addition to funds from the State of Alabama, members of the Biochemistry and Structural Biology faculty receive millions of dollars in outside investor-initiated grants.

Our faculty are well-published.  Research findings in our laboratories are regularly documented in major scientific journals and many of our faculty serve on editorial boards.
 
ArgawalAnupam Anupam Agarwal, Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, and Cell Biology
Director of the Nephrology Research and Training Center

Areas of Focus:  Molecular regulation of the human heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene in renal injury and in atherosclerosis

Publications
 
Jonas Almeida, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pathology

Areas of Focus: Informatics, Computational Statistics, Machine Learning

Publications
 
BaileyShannon cc
Shannon M. Bailey, Ph.D.

Associate Professor , Department of Environmental Health Sciences

Areas of Interest – How  genetic, environmental, and life-style factors influence the initiation, progression, and severity of liver diseases and how these alterations impact risk for cardiovascular disease


Publications
 
Susan L. Bellis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine

Areas of Focus: The role of integrin receptors in human biology and disease. 



Publications
 
bjornsti Mary-Ann Bjornsti, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology


Areas of Focus:  DNA topoisomerase I, camptothecin chemotherapeutics, yeast, DNA replication, transcription, recombination, TOR signaling pathway, rapamycin


Publications
 
Scott W. Blume, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology

Areas of Focus: Gene-specific translational regulation, internal ribosome entry site, RNA-binding proteins, IGF1R and c-myc


Publications
 
 Braunewell Karl-Heinz Braunewell, Ph.D. - SRI
Leader, Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience Laboratory (Southern Research Institute)

Areas of Focus:  Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, function of neuronal calcium sensors in health and disease 


Publications

Visit Karl-Heinz' Lab
 
BrennerMichael

Michael Brenner, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Neurobiology

Areas of Focus: Astrocytes, regulating neurons and oligodendrocytes, establishment of the blood-brain barrier, metabolism of neurotransmitters, potassium homeostasis, and contribution to memory formation.

Publications
 
Chen
Ching-Yi Chen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus: Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, mRNA decay, RNA-binding proteins, knockout mice.

Publications
 
ChesnokovIgor
Igor Chesnokov, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus:  The study of the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication and cell cycle progression in eukaryotes.

Publications
 
ChowLouise
Louise T. Chow, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus: Human papillomavirus pathobiology, Genetics, Organotypic cultures of primary human keratinocytes

Publications
 
Crasto_Chiquito cc
Chiquito Crasto, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics

Area of Focus: Bioinformatics, Olfactory receptors, Protein modeling, Neurological disorders


Publications
 
DeLucas2
Lawrence J. DeLucas, O.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Optometry

Areas of focus: Membrane Protein Structure-Function Relationships, Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator, X-Ray Crystallography


Publications
 
Elgavish_Gabriel Gabriel A. Elgavish, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus:  Our research has centered on the development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) methods for the early diagnosis and quantification of disease, including Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (MTLE), and Prostate Cancer (PC).


Publications
 
Mark Garfinkel, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor

Areas of Focus: QTL mapping, molecular genetics of sex determination, computational biology, comparative genomics, environmental effects on epigenetic inheritance


Publications

 
GrossAlecia cc

Alecia Gross, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus:  GPCR trafficking in neurons and rhodopsin-mediated retinal degenerations 



Publications
 

John L. Hartman, IV, M.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics

Areas of Focus: Quantitative analysis of genotype-phenotype interaction networks in yeast models of human disease

Publications
 
Mohammad Hassan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Areas of focus: Birth defects and development, disease mechanisms, fundamental cellular mechanism


Publications
 
Higgins_Patrick
N. Patrick Higgins, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus : Genetic and Biochemical Studies of Chromosome Dynamics

Publications
 
Karen Iles, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology


Publications
 
Kedishvili_Natalia
Natalia Y. Kedeshvili, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus:  Regulation of retinoic acid biosynthesis and gene expression in health and disease; discovery and characterization of new retinoid-active enzymes.


Publications
 
klug1
Christopher Klug, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Microbiology

Areas of Focus: Hematopoietic stem cell biology, Leukemia stem cells and acute myeloid leukemia, Animal models of pancreatic cancer, Molecular control of early lymphocyte development

Publications
 
Krishna
N. Rama Krishna, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus: Biomolecular NMR spectroscopy, protein structural biology, and drug design

Publications
 
lefkowitz cc Elliot J. Lefkowitz, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology

Areas of Focus: virology; genomics; evolution; boinformatics


Publications

 
Xiaohua Li, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Psychiatry Chair's Office

Areas of focus: Serotonin- and neurotrophin-regulated signal transduction, and downstream protein kinases, transcription factors, and gene expression

Publications
 
Nita A. Limdi,  Pharm D., Ph.D., M.S.P.H.

Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology

Areas of Focus:  Antiepileptic drugs, treatment of status epilepticus, pharmacogenetics, pharmacogenomics, and genetic epidemiology.

Publications
 
Weei-Chin Lin, M.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Medicine and Cell Biology
Division of Hematology and Oncology

Areas of Focus:  Cell cycle control and DNA damage response

Publications
 
Lathrop_Clinton
Clinton D. Lothrop, Jr., Ph.D. D.V.M.

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus:  Hematopoietic stem cell regulation in canine cyclic hematopoiesis , gene therapy of blood diseases in canine models of hemophilia and pyruvate kinase deficiency and nonmyeloablative bone marrow transplantation  for treatment of blood diseases and tolerance induction.



Publications
 
Michael Niederweis, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Microbiology

Areas of Focus:  Tuberculosis, bacterial pathogens, macrophages, proteome


Publications
 
Noah_Diana Diana Noah, Ph.D.

Research Virologist, Viral Biochemistry
Division of Drug Discovery (Southern Research Institute)

Areas of Focus: Virus evasion of the cellular immune response and both viral and cellular factors involved in determining virus pathogenesis

Publications
 
Noah_James
James W. Noah, Ph.D.

Biochemist, Emerging and Infectious Diseases (Southern Research Institute)

Areas of Focus: respiratory diseases, human and avian influenza (HPAI) strains, nucleic acid-based antivirals, toxins 



Publications
 
Norton_Thomas Thomas T. Norton, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Vision Sciences

Areas of Focus: Biochemistry of Nearsightedness (myopia)



Publications
 
Patel_Rakesh Rakesh Patel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pathology

Areas of Focus:  Basic science and translational studies in pursuit of our research interests which are to understand the molecular and biochemical mechanisms by which nitric oxide and nitrite interact with different organs and red blood cells and how these impact upon biological processes associated with blood flow regulation and pulmonary function during hypoxia, inflammation (associated with Sepsis) or in response to inhaled irritants (e.g. chlorine gas).


Publications
 
Pittler_Steven cc

Steven J. Pittler, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Vision Sciences

Areas of Focus: Biochemistry and molecular biology of photoreceptor cell; and translational approach to the treatment of a defined group of hereditary retinal disorders collectively known as retinitis pigmentosa (RP)

Publications
 
Popov_Kirill cc Kiril M. Popov, Ph.D.

Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus: Mechanisms of enzyme regulation and catalysis; molecular approaches to elucidation of structure/function relationships in proteins; molecular basis of inherited metabolic disease; molecular mechanisms of metabolic control; metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids

Publications
 
sasanka Sasanka Ramanadham, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Physiology & Biophysics

Areas of Focus: Beta-Cell Apoptosis Bone Metabolism Insulin Resistance/Diabetes 


Publications
 
Renfrow_Matthew Matthew B. Renfrow, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus: Application of high resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) to answer specific biological questions.

Publications
 

Steven Rowe, M.D., MSPH

Assistant Professor, School of Medicine

Publications
 
Ryan_Thomas
Thomas M. Ryan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus:  Stem Cell Therapies in Animal Models of Human Disease

Publications
 
Schneider_David

David A. Schneider, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus:  The overall goal of our lab is to characterize the molecular mechanisms that control transcription of rRNA by RNA polymerase I (Pol I) and subsequent rRNA processing events.


Publications
 
Smith_Jeffrey


Jeffrey B. Smith, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Areas of Focus – Regulation of the Apaf-1 apoptosome by phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and free magnesium ions


Publications
 
Giuseppe Squadrito, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor

Areas of Focus: Development, design and evaluation of dynamic multi-component molecular systems


Publications
 
Sztul_Elizabeth
Elizabeth S. Sztul, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Cell Biology

Publications

 

Sunnie Thompson, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology

Publications
 
Townes_Tim
Tim M. Townes, Ph.D.
Professor, Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Director, UAB Stem Cell Institute

Areas of Focus:  The major interest of my laboratory is the regulation of gene expression during development.

Publications
 
Tuchoiski_Janusz

Janusz Tucholski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology

Areas of Focus: Project #1:  Schizophrenia, glutamate receptors, assembly and trafficking, N-glycosylation; and Project #2:  Tissue transglutaminase, retinoic acid, neuroblastoma, neuronal death and survival



Publications
 
Unlap_Tino


M. Tino Unlap, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences


Publications
 
Vassylyev_Dmitry
Dmitry Vassylyev, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus: Protein crystallography, biological macromolecules, proteins, protein-ligand, protein-nucleic acid


Publications
 
Wang_Hengbin

Hengbin Wang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Areas of Focus: Defining the Role of Epigenetic Regulation in Normal and Pathological Development.


Publications
 
C. Roger White, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Director, Basic Science Section of the Division of Gerontology
Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care

Areas of Focus: Mechanistic properties of novel apolipoprotein (apo) A-I mimetic peptides


Publications
 
Wu_Hui

Hui Wu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry

Areas of Focus:  Bacterial biofilm development


Publications
 
Yang_Qinglin


Qinglin Yang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition Sciences

Areas of Focus: Exploring molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of heart failure


Publications
 
Martin Young, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine

Areas of Focus: Role of the Circadian Clock within the Heart


Publications
 
Nabiha Yusuf, Ph.D.

Instructor, Department of Dermatology

Areas of Focus: Our laboratory is involved in evaluating the effect of environmental influences such as chemical carcinogens and ultraviolet radiation on the skin immune system. The focus of our research is on the role of innate immunity in the development of skin carcinogenesis.

Publications