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About the image: Cilia on ependymal cells in the brain beat to push cerebral spinal fluid through the ventricles of the brain. Defects in cilia function in the Tg737 mutant mice impair this fluid movement as observed by with fluorescently tagged bead and ultimately cause hydrocephalus. Faculty & ResearchFaculty in the CMDB theme are affiliated with multiple departments across UAB. The scientific interests of the faculty are very diverse and interdisciplinary in nature and encompass cell, molecular, and developmental biology using modern tools and approaches as well as a wide range of model organisms and cell culture systems. The research conducted by CMDB faculty addresses fundamental cellular and molecular questions that provide the basis for understanding and treating human disease and developmental abnormalities. Specific research activities of the CMDB faculty can be viewed by visiting individual faculty research and profile pages or by looking under the faculty research focus areas. CMDB faculty research is supported by awards from various agencies, with the majority coming from the National Institutes of Health. Birth Defects & Development l Disease Mechanisms l Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms Anupam Agarwal, M.D. - Medicine Regulation of heme oxygenase gene expression in kidney and vascular injury Disease Mechanisms Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms Jonas Almeida, PhD - Pathology Informatics; personalized medicine; systems biology; mathematical modeling Birth Defects & Development Disease Mechanisms Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms Namasivayam Ambalavanan, M.D. - Pediatrics Neonatal lung development; mechanisms underlying neonatal pulmonary vascular remodeling and neonatal pulmonary hypertension G. M. Anantharamaiah, Ph.D. - Medicine Apolipoproteins; amphipathic helices; atherosclerosis Disease Mechanisms Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms Shannon M. Bailey, Ph.D. - Environmental Health Sciences Molecular mechanisms of chronic alcohol and obesity induced fatty liver disease Daniel Balkovetz - Medicine Epithelial cell biology; epithelial cell signal regulation; regulation of paracellular transport across epithelial cell Disease Mechanisms Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms Scott Ballinger, Ph.D. - Molecular and Cellular Pathology Environmental cardiology; free radical biology; mitochondrial function Disease Mechanisms Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms Marcas Bamman, Ph.D. - Physiology & Biophysics Membrane protein biogenesis in epithelial cells (CFTR as model); unfolded protein response
Mechanism of translation termination; therapies to suppress stop mutations
The CFTR chloride channel control of epithelial sodium channel under physiological and pathological conditions
Disease Mechanisms Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms Cellular and molecular physiology of acid-base transporters and pH regulation
Disease Mechanisms Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms Mary-Ann Bjornsti, Ph.D. - Pediatrics J. Edwin Blalock, Ph.D. - Physiology & Biophysics Rational drug and vaccine design/Neutrophilic Inflammation Molecular and cellular neurobiology; function of neuronal calcium sensors in health and disease
Disease Mechanisms Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms Molecular studies of astrocytes in health and disease
Disease Mechanisms Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms William Britt, M.D. - Pediatrics Human herpesviruses, molecular virology and pathogenesis Steven Carroll, M.D., Ph.D. - Pathology The Role of Neuregulin-1 in Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasia Chenbei Chang, Ph.D. - Cell Biology Signaling transduction in development and diseases
Birth Defects & Development Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms John C. Chatham, D.Phil. - Pathology Cardiomyocyte function and metabolism in diabetes and ischemic heart disease Ching-Yi Chen, Ph.D. - Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Mechanism and regulation of mammalian mRNA turnover Yabing Chen, Ph.D. - Pathology Gene regulation in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and cancer Igor Chesnokov, Ph.D. - Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics DNA replication and cell cycle in eukaryotes Louise Chow, Ph.D. - Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Human papillomavirus DNA replication and pathogenesis Sarah Clinton, Ph.D. - Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology Neurodevelopmental and environmental factors that underlie susceptibility to anxiety and depression Rita Cowell, Ph.D. - Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology Transcriptional regulation of early postnatal brain development: Insights into the pathology of autism and schizophrenia Judy Creighton, Ph.D. - Anesthesiology AMPK activates calcium signaling necessary for endothelial barrier repair Patrizia DeSarno, Ph.D. - Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology Jessy Deshane, Ph.D. - Medicine Inflammatory diseases of the airway Lynn Dobrunz, Ph.D. - Neurobiology Synaptic transmission and plasticity in hippocampus Alan Eberhardt, Ph.D. - Biomedical Engineering Orthopedic and injury biomechanics, using both experimental and computational approaches Charles Falany, Ph.D. - Pharmacology & Toxicology Biochemical and physiological properties of human cytosolic sulfotransferases Michelle Fanucchi, Ph.D. - Environmental Health Sciences Pulmonary cell biology and toxicology; cell-to-cell interactions in the developing lung as well as in repair after lung injury and disease in children; the role of biochemical defense mechanisms native to pulmonary cells; childhood lung disease and its etiology; drug metabolism Andra R. Frost, M.D. - Pathology Fibroblast-epithelial cell interactions and developmental pathways in breast cancer Kohtaro Fujihashi, D.D.S, Ph.D. - Pediatric Dentistry The cellular and molecular mechanisms for mucosal immunity in the elderly; molecular and cellular mechanisms for the induction and regulation of mucosally induced tolerance; a mucosal internet of gd, ab T cells, and epithelial cells for mucosal immunity; mucosal immunity in murine models of IBD Catherine Fuller, Ph.D. - Physiology & Biophysics ENaC/ASIC Ion Channels Mark Garfinkel, Ph.D. - Environmental Health Sciences Drosophila W. Timothy Garvey, M.D. - Nutrition Sciences Molecular, metabolic, and genetic basis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, and obesity G. Yancey Gillespie, Ph.D. - Surgery Molecular and viral therapy of malignant primary brain tumors Gower, Barbara, Ph.D. - Nutrition Sciences Gonadal steriod hormones Alecia K. Gross, Ph.D. - Vision Sciences Rhodopsin trafficking in rod cells and rhodopsin-mediated retinal degenerations Lisa Guay-Woodford, M.D. - Genetics Genetics of renal disease, particularly polycystic kidney disease John L. Hartman, IV, M.D. - Genetics Quantitative analysis of genotype-phenotype interaction networks in yeast models of human disease Mohammad Hassan, Ph.D. - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery The regulation of bone formation and craniofacial development by non-coding microRNA. My research will also explore the role of specific microRNAs for the progression of osteoarthritis. Hui-Chen Hsu, Ph.D. - Clinical Immunology, Rheumatology The BXD2 autoimmune mouse model of lupus and erosive arthritis Disease Mechanisms Fundamental Cellular Mechanisms
Kejin Hu, Ph.D. - Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Somatic cell nuclear reprogramming, genetic modification of human pluripotent stem cells (PSC), pluripotency and self-renewal of pluripotent stem cells, and differentiation of PSC into blood lineage Douglas Hurst, Ph.D. - Pathology Molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis Amjad Javed, Ph.D. - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Genetic and molecular signaling for cellular differentiation and skeletogenesis Rajesh K. Kana, Ph.D. - Psychology The neural substrates of social cognition and the impact of social cognition on language, communication, and other cognitive functions Natalia Y. Kedishivili, Ph.D. - Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Regulation of retinoic acid homeostasis Ilan Kerman, M.D. - Psychiatry Bob Kesterson, Ph.D. - Genetics Hypothalamic control of feeding behavior Kent Keyser, Ph.D. - Vision Sciences Acetylcholine and Ach receptors Helen Kim, Ph.D. - Pharmacology & Toxicology Proteomics of neuroprotective and chemopreventive actions of dietary phytochemicals Jeonga Kim - Medicine Cross-talk between inflammation and insulin signaling Gwendalyn King, Ph.D. - Neurobiology Understanding the difference between pathological and non-pathological brain aging Adrienne Lahti, M.D. - Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology Use of multimodal brain imaging techniques to study the neuropathology of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and to evaluate the effects of psychotopropic drugs on brain function and biochemistry; translational work aiming at bridging human brain imaging and postmortem studies Mathieu Lesort, Ph.D. - Psychiatry Pathogenesis of Huntington's disease: From models to therapeutic targets Xiaohua Li, M.D., Ph.D. - Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology Neurobiology of mood disorders Yi-Ping Li, Ph.D. - Molecular and Cellular Pathology Understanding the mechanisms of bone formation, bone resorption, skeletal development, craniofacial development and cancer bone metastasis; developing effective new therapies for treating and preventing the related diseases Yuqing Li, Ph.D. - Neurology Pathophysiology and experimental therapeutics of dystonia and related movement disorders; basal ganglia function and dysfunction; molecular and cellular mechanism of learning and synaptic plasticity Molecular transcriptional mechanisms in learning/memory and neurological disorders Jin-Biao Ma, Ph.D. - Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Structure and mechanism of proteins-RNA recognition in small RNA biogenesis and regulation Lori McMahon, Ph.D. - Physiology & Biophysics Synaptic plasticity and hippocampal dependent learning Joseph L. Messina, Ph. D. - Pathology Insulin and growth hormone (GH) action; insulin and GH resistance following trauma and infection Michael A. Miller, Ph.D. - Cell Biology Function and evolution of intercellular communication mechanisms Joanne Murphy-Ullrich, Ph.D. - Pathology Extracellular matrix control of cell and growth factor function Dobrawa Napierala, Ph.D. - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Diana Noah, Ph.D. - Biochemistry/SRI Understanding of influenza virus pathogenesis, including the mechanisms utilized by the highly pathogenic avian influenza strains causing deaths throughout Asia Thomas T. Norton, Ph. D. - Vision Sciences Animal models of myopia: Retinal control of eye size Susan Nozell, Ph.D. - Cell Biology Michelle L. Olsen, Ph.D. - Physiology & Biophysics Glial potassium channels and glutamate transporters in injury and abnormal development Suzanne Oparil, M.D. - Medicine Molecular and cellular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease John Parant, Ph.D. - Pharmacology & Toxicology Regulation as well as cause of genomic instability in cancer and other diseases Boris Pasche, M.D., Ph.D. - Medicine Gene variants that modify cancer risk and novel cancer therapies Steven Pittler, Ph.D. - Vision Sciences Basic and Translational studies of photoreceptor metabolism and retinal degeneration Steven Pogwizd, M.D. - Medicine The electrophysiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying lethal arrhythmias in the setting of heart failure Selvarangan Ponnazhagan, Ph.D. - Pathology Adeno-associated virus gene therapy Kirill M. Popov, Ph.D. - Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex Edward M. Postlethwait, Ph.D. - Environmental Health Sciences Environmental induction of pulmonary epithelial injury Lucas Pozzo-Miller, Ph.D. - Neurobiology Neurotrophins; Ca2+ signaling; synapse development and plasticity; mental retardation; Rett syndrome Chandler Raman, Ph.D. - Medicine Lymphocyte activation, immune tolerance, and autoimmunity tolerance and autoimmunity Sasanka Ramanadham, Ph.D. - Physiology & Biophysics Beta-cell apoptosis bone metabolism insulin resistance/diabetes Erik Roberson, M.D. Ph.D. - Neurology Neurobiology of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia Tom Ryan Ph.D. - Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Stem cell therapies in animal models of human disease Ralph D. Sanderson, Ph.D. - Pathology Molecular regulation of the tumor microenvironment David Schneider, Ph.D. - Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Control of RNA polymearase I transcription in the model eukarote Saccharomyces cerevisiae Harry Schroeder, M.D., Ph.D. - Medicine The development and function of lymphocyte antigen receptors; genetics of primary immune deficiency diseases Lisa Schwiebert, Ph.D. - Physiology & Biophysics Airway inflammation; lung function; asthma and exercise Bingdong Sha, Ph.D. - Cell Biology Structural and functional studies of proteins involved in protein folding and translocations Anath Shalev, MD - Med - Endrocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Sadeep Shrestha, Ph.D. - Epidemiology Infectious disease epidemiology; genetic epidemiology Peter Smith, Ph.D. - Physiology & Biophysics The role of the membrane cytoskeleton in regulating the cell surface expression of epithelial transport proteins Eric Sorscher, M.D. - Medicine Cystic Fibrosis and Molecular Genetics; Patient Oriented Research Giuseppe L. Squadrito - Environmental Health Sciences Development, design and evaluation of dynamic multi-component molecular systems that can be used to understand David G. Standaert, M.D., Ph.D. - Medicine/Neurology Translational research in neurodegenerative diseases Elizabeth Sztul, Ph.D. - Cell Biology Membrane traffic; protein degradation Anne Theibert, Ph.D. - Neurobiology Role of phosphoinositides in developmental neurobiology Sunnie Thompson, Ph.D. - Microbiology Translation initiation during viral infection, tumorigenesis, or under stress Jaideep Thottassery, Ph.D. - Pathology Cks1; Skp2; cell cycle; breast cancer; antiestrogen resistance; nucleosides; DNA methylation Janusz Tucholski, Ph.D. - Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology Cellular and molecular biology of neuroblastoma; response of neuronal cells and neurons to stress Thomas Van Groen, Ph.D. - Cell Biology Amyloid angiopathy in cognitive dysfunction and Alzheimer's disease Hengbin Wang, Ph.D. - Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Role of histone modification in chromatin function Jianbo Wang, Ph.D. - Cell Biology A novel signaling pathway termed planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway and how this pathway regulates morphogenesis in mammals Qin Wang, M.D., Ph.D. - Physiology & Biophysics Regulation of GPCR cellular responses and in vivo functions Disease Mechanisms
Andrew B. West, Ph.D. - Neurobiology Genetic and biochemical mechanisms in neurological disorders Timothy M. Wick, Ph.D. - Biomedical Engineering Orthopaedic and cardiovascular tissue engineering and regenerative medicine Scott Wilson, Ph.D. - Neurobiology Mouse models of neurodegeneration Jianming Wu, D.V.M., Ph.D. - Medicine Molecular immunology and genetics of human autoimmune diseases Eddy Yang, M.D., Ph.D. - Radiation Oncology The targeting of DNA repair pathways to enhance the therapeutic ratio Yang Yang, M.D., Ph.D. - Molecular and Cellular Pathology Tumor microenvironment; cancer-related bone diseases; translational research on multiple myeloma Qinglin Yang, Ph.D. - Nutrition Sciences Exploring molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of heart failure, especially those related to transcriptional regulation of myocardial fatty acid and carbohydrate metabolisms (eg., PPAR signaling pathway) in pathological conditions such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes Martin E. Young, Ph.D. - Medicine/Cardiovascular Disease Role of the circadian clock within the heart Nabiha Yusuf, Ph.D. - Dermatology Environmental influences such as chemical carcinogens and ultraviolet light on the skin and on the immune system Majd Zayzafoon, M.D., Ph.D. - Pathology The role of calcium signaling in the genetic and epigenetic pathogenesis of disease Jianhua Zhang, Ph.D. - Pathology Cell and molecular mechanisms; mouse models of autophagy in development; neurological and psychiatric diseases Lufang Zhou, Ph.D. - Medicine Oxidative stress induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease Kurt Zinn, D.V.M., M.S., Ph.D. - Radiology The development of imaging approaches that can monitor molecular events in small animal models, particularly technologies that have the potential to translate to human applications are emphasized. Areas of interest include: (1) strategies to link blood-based screening with imaging for early detection of disease, especially cancer, and (2) imaging of protein-protein interactions. |

Faculty & Research