My research focuses on understanding the role of telomere length in human health and disease. Telomeres are caps on the ends of each of chromosomes and shorten as we age. All cancer cells must find a way to maintain their…
A fundamental question in molecular biology is how organisms interpret the vast amounts of information encoded in their genomes. The Arndt lab uses a wide range of experimental approaches to study the first step in gene expression, the synthesis of…
Radiation therapy and many chemotherapies induce DNA damage. These therapies work because cancer cells divide more rapidly than normal cells and cancer cells acquire mutations that change their DNA damage responses and DNA repair mechanisms. Nevertheless, radiation and DNA damaging…
Research in the Brieno-Enriquez lab focuses on the regulation of gametogenesis in human and mouse and, more specifically, the fundamental mechanisms that are required to produce viable germ cells. Our studies include the analysis of all the different stages of…
Our work focuses on understanding: (1) how misfolded proteins are recognized and destroyed in normal and tumor cells, (2) how molecular chaperones mediate protein quality control “decisions”, (3) how protein quality control pathways can be targeted in disease models, and…
I am a radiation oncologist whose clinical interest is in advancing care for patients with central nervous system tumors. My laboratory research is specifically on targeting a glucose transporter as a radiosensitizer for brain tumors.
The purpose of my laboratory’s research is to investigate the effects of environmental exposure on the host. We are particularly interested in infection and immunity on the lung and its associated pathophysiological response during injury, repair, and regeneration. The primary…
Dr. Du's research is centered on pathophysiology of hematologic diseases such as bone marrow (BM) failure and leukemia. She has a broad background in hematopoiesis, stem cell biology & aging, cellular metabolism and tumor microenvironment, with specific training and expertise…
Research in the Duncan Lab focuses on liver development, homeostasis, and regeneration. Polyploidy is a defining feature of the adult liver. Hepatocytes are either mononucleated or binucleated, and ploidy is determined by the number of nuclei per cell as well…
The overarching goal of my research is to understand the cellular mechanisms that lead to genome instability, focusing on regions of the genome especially vulnerable to harmful environmental exposures. I particularly focus on defining the roles of ADP-Ribose transferase enzymes…
Dr. Deborah Galson's laboratory is focused on two main areas: (1) Determining the mechanism by which multiple myeloma (MM) cells reduce bone formation via suppression of the differentiation capacity of osteoblast progenitor cells in a manner that persists even after…
Dr. Greenberger is examining the use of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) plasmid liposome gene therapy and GS-nitroxides, and other new second generation probiotics LR-IL22 and LR-IFN-B as agents to protect the normal tissues in the esophagus and lung from damage…
Dr. Valerian E. Kagan is one of the world’s recognized leaders and one of the most prominent authorities in the field of Free Radical Biology and Medicine. Internationally known for his profound interdisciplinary studies of oxidative stress, antioxidants, tissue, and…
The Liu Lab studies several medically important bacterial virulence factors, including anthrax toxins, in bacterial pathogenesis. Through investigating the interactions of these protein toxins and their mammalian hosts, we are interested in discovering the toxins’ molecular targets and understanding the…
Using computational method to search for driver somatic genome alterations, such as somatic mutations, copy number alterations, that are related to cancer development. Formulating the biological problems into graph or statistical problems. Designing efficient exact algorithms for the hard computational…
Dr. Luo's research is in the area of genome and gene expression studies of malignancies, especially in understanding how liver and prostate cancers obtain invasive and metastatic capabilities. Dr. Luo's laboratory in the past has primarily focused on the isolation…
DNA replication remains one of the main targets of cancer therapies as cancer cell generally proliferate faster and are prone to replication stress. My research interests involve studying the control of the initiation of DNA replication under normal conditions, in…
I am a physician scientist specializing in radiation therapy for the treatment of head and neck cancer and cutaneous malignancies. My laboratory utilizes genetically engineered mouse models, orthotopic syngeneic transplant mouse models, and patient samples to study the development and…
As a faculty in the Department of Radiation Oncology, I have been working on multiple cancer-related projects, including: 1. Using radiation as a modality in ovarian cancer mouse models in the presence of mitigators of radiation damage; 2. Ameliorating fibrosis…
DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most deleterious of DNA lesions and must be timely and accurately repaired to prevent genome instability. Telomeres, the ends of our linear chromosomes, resemble DSBs and must be protected from improper DNA damage signaling…
My long-term goal is to understand how perturbation of chromatin regulators disrupts the epigenome to affect fundamental epigenetically controlled processes. To address this question, I study genetic alterations in chromatin regulators that occur in sarcomas and other solid tumors. By…
CENP-A is a heritable epigenetic mark that determines centromere identity and is essential for centromere function. Centromeres are the central genetic element responsible for accurate chromosome segregation during cell division, and as such, they are anticipated to be evolutionarily stable.…
The main interest of the Neumann laboratory is to expand our knowledge of cell signaling that is in part mediated by oxidation and reducing (redox) reactions as reactive oxygen species (ROS) deregulate the redox homeostasis and promote tumor formation by…
Dr. Nikiforov’s research is focused on thyroid cancer genomics and mechanisms of chromosomal rearrangements and other mutations induced by ionizing radiation in thyroid cells and other cell types. Since 2000, Dr. Nikiforov’s research activities have led to four scientific discoveries.…
My lab studies DNA damage and repair at telomeres. Telomeres are the caps at chromosome ends that are essential for preserving the genome. When chromosomes lose their telomere caps the cells age and this contributes to the onset of degenerative…
The O’Sullivan lab at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center conducts research into proteins that alter the structural and epigenetic functions of human telomeres. Telomeres are structures at the ends of chromosomes – the integrity of telomeres is an important factor in…
I am interested in further advancing our research and leveraging our findings for precision oncology. The HCC provides an ideal interdisciplinary environment for these efforts. I am focused on the below research areas: 1. Molecular mechanisms of human nucleotide excision…
The Sheikh lab is interested in understanding how various oncogenic drivers impact the response to DNA damage agents in pediatric CNS malignancies. Furthermore, we seek to determine how the alterations in the metabolome of pediatric CNS malignancies impact the response…
Heath D. Skinner, MD, PhD, is a Professor in as well as the Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. In addition to his leadership and clinical duties, Dr. Skinner maintains an active,…
Dr. St. Croix is a tenured Professor of Cell Biology and an Associate Director of the CBI. She has been a PI or co-I on NIH-funded R01s, P01s and R21s, and has been continuously funded by the NIH since 2005.…
Dr. Donna Beer Stolz is the Associate Director of the Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Professor in the Departments of Cell Biology and Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh. She has been the director…
Our laboratory studies the formation and repair of DNA damage in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. We are particularly interested in the structure and function of proteins that mediate DNA repair and the role of oxidative stress in human disease. We…
Dr. Wang’s primary areas of research interest include design and statistical analysis of clinical trials and pre-clinical studies, and correlated survival analysis. Other areas of interest include microbiome data analysis, statistical analysis of Multiplex Immunofluorescence (mIF) data, and in vitro…
Optical Microscopy has formed the core of my research career since my graduate training in England. In the CBI which I founded and direct, we build, test, and use cutting edge optical tools for all types of research microscopic imaging…
