Research
Active Researchers
PRIMARY APPOINTMENT FACULTY
Arin
Bhattacharjee, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Ion Channel Biology: Understanding how ion channels influence the firing properties of neurons.
Peter
G. Bradford, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
The study of the effects of hormones, dietary supplements and environmental
agents on bone biology.
Margarita L. Dubocovich, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Cellular, molecular and behavioral neuropharmacology of the hormone melatonin and its G protein-coupled receptors, the MT1 and MT2. Melatonin receptors as targets for the modulation of circadian rhythms, methamphetamine-induced sensitization and circadian rhythms alterations, cell proliferation, and neurogenesis. Discovery of receptor-selective melatonin ligands for the treatment of circadian sleep disorders, depression, and cancer.
Arthur
M. Edelman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Role of protein kinase-mediated signaling cascades in neuronal development
and cancer.
Stanley
W. Halvorsen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Studies of neurotrophic factor and cytokine actions in nervous system development and maintenance, and in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Mechanisms of oxidative stress and free radicals mediated from environmental compounds on Jak/STAT signal transduction and their effects on disease pathogenesis in the nervous system.
Paul
J. Kostyniak, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of the Toxicology Research Center
Biomarkers of exposure to environmental chemicals of concern. Assessment of environmental exposures in human populations. Effects of solvents and other xenobiotics on auditory function..
Suzanne
G. Laychock, Ph.D.
Professor & Senior Associate Dean for Research and Biomedical
Education
Endocrine regulation and metabolism; role of cyclic nucleotides, nitric
oxide, phospholipases, prostaglandins, and calcium in cell biochemistry
and hormone production; diabetes research.
Alan
J. Lesse, M.D., GFT
Associate Professor; Associate Professor of Medicine & Microbiology
Microbial pathogenesis and interactions of bacteria with the host immune
system; pathogenisis of Staphylococcus aureus infections, particularly S.
aureus bacteremia; bioinformatics.
Assistant Professor
Understanding the molecular mechanism of coronary artery disease. Signaling mechanisms that underlie the reduced tolerance to cardiac ischemia/reperfusion stress seen in the elderly with the hope of devising novel strategies to prevent the decline or boost responsiveness in aged populations. Exploring the intrinsic relationship between diabetes and cardiovascular diseases by investigating the role of AMP-activated protein kinase regulation in myocardial glucose metabolism. Investigating the signaling targets of natural antioxidants for modulating the redox status of tumor cells and developing a strategy for cancer therapy with natural products from herbal medicines.
James
R. Olson, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies
Toxicology of halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons and organophosphate (OP)
pesticides of concern to human health. Development of biomarkers to assess
the exposure, effects and susceptibility of humans to these compounds.
Metabolism, disposition, developmental toxicity and mechanism of action
of these compounds.
Richard
A. Rabin, Ph.D.
Professor
Action of drugs on neurotransmitter receptors and signal transduction
pathways. Mechanisms of action of drugs of abuse with emphasis on alcohol
and hallucinogens. Mechanism of neurotoxicity of ethanol.
Rajendram V. Rajnarayanan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Research and Summer Programs
Studying molecular mechanisms of transcription factor mediated pathways and to discover small molecules that target specific transcription factor conformation. Design, synthesis and evaluation of inducers, substrates and inhibitors of drug metabolizing enzymes. We explore new chemical space by employing state-of-the-art Omics guided structure determination techniques to probe protein interactome and discover new drugs against a variety of diseases including diabetes and cancer.
Jerome
A. Roth, Ph.D.
Professor
Mechanism of manganese-induced neurotoxicity; Factors regulating divalent metal transport and their relationship to neurological disorders; Transcriptional and post-translational regulation of divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) and its response to inflammatory conditions in the CNS; The role of parkin, a protein involved in early onset of Parkinson’s disease, in regulating DMT1.
Assistant Professor
The molecular control of cell fate and homeostasis of resident stem and progenitor cells in the human brain. Using a combination of cell-sorting techniques and whole-genome microarray to identify an array of signaling pathways that operate in the specification and induction of glial progenitors. Aim to establish the functional significance of these pathways using pharmacological and molecular techniques in vitro and ultimately with in vivo models of CNS demyelination/remyelination.
Satpal
Singh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
Studying molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of ion channels, and drug action on channels, using electrophysiological, molecular, genetic, pharmacological and imaging
techniques.
Jerrold
C. Winter, Ph.D.
Professor
Behavioral pharmacology of psychoactive drugs, including psychotherapeutic
agents and drugs of abuse; mechanisms of action of hallucinogens.
VOLUNTEER FACULTY
John
K. Crane, M.D. Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology;
Associate Professor of Medicine
Microbial toxins, enteric infectious diseases, cellular mechanisms of
diarrhea.
Paresh
Dandona, M.B. B.S. Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmacology &; Toxicology;
UB Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Vascular cell reactivity encompassing platelet function, endothelial
function, monocyte/macrophage function and their interactions.
Bruce
A. Holm, Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology;
Senior Vice Provost;
Professor, Departments of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Pediatrics
Biophysical, biochemical, physiological and cell biological studies
of the pulmonary surfactant system in health and disease, with
particular emphasis on hyperoxic lung injury.
Thomas I. Kalman, Ph.D.
Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology & Toxicology
Design and mechanism of action studies of enzyme inhibitors and prodrugs in anticancer and antiviral drug discovery; cellular pharmacology of antifolates and nucleoside analogs.
John
M. Sullivan, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology;
Clinical Associate Professor of Opthamology
Molecular biophysics of retinal G-protein coupled receptor activation
and recovery, drug discovery for retinal and macular degenerative diseases,
systems biology and mechanisms of cell death in retinal and macular degenerative
disease.