Faculty

Chair, David A. Harris, MD PhD

FACULTY RESEARCH LABORATORIES

  • Carmela Abraham, PhD, Professor. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms involved in normal brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Lawreen H. Connors, PhD, Research Associate Professor, Structural studies of the human plasma protein, transthyretin (TTR), in the context of systemic amyloid disease.
  • Catherine E. Costello, PhD, Professor, Director, Mass Spectrometry Resource. Biopolymer structural studies based on development and application of mass spectral methods.
  • Stephen R. Farmer, PhD, Professor. Transcription factors that regulate the switch between growth and differentiation of highly specialized cells.
  • Richard E. Fine, PhD, Professor. Cell biology and metabolism of the beta amyloid precursor protein and other proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Carl Franzblau, PhD, Professor. Studies on the chemistry, biosynthesis, and turnover of the extracellular-matrix proteins, including elastin and collagen.
  • David A. Harris, MD PhD. Professor. Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying human and animal prion diseases
  • Herbert Kagan, PhD, Professor. Mechanisms of action, regulation, and molecular biology of amine oxidases, with emphasis on connective-tissue lysyl oxidase.
  • Konstantin V. Kandror, PhD, Professor. Regulated vesicular traffic in different eukaryotic cells.
  • Kathrin H. Kirsch, PhD, Associate Professor. Delineating molecular mechanisms important for tumor initiation and progression, with a specific focus on the expanding family of cytoplasmic adapter proteins.
  • Matthew D. Layne, PhD, Assistant Professor. Regulation of smooth muscle proliferation and gene expression in vascular disease.
  • Zhijun Luo, PhD, Associate Professor. Regulation of tumor cell growth and metabolism by protein phosphorylation
  • Wande Li, PhD, Associate Research Professor Investigating novel biological functions of lysyl oxidase, a cpper-dependent enzyme for ECM crosslinking and its expression regulated by metal homeostasis.
  • Matthew A. Nugent, PhD, Professor. Role of extracellular matrix in controlling growth factor-receptor interactions and cell proliferation.
  • Paul F. Pilch, PhD, Professor. Membrane trafficking and the cell biology of insulin action.
  • Peter Polgar, PhD, Professor. Investigating the structure/function of the bradykinin receptor by site-directed mutagenesis.
  • Katya Ravid, PhD, Professor. Cell cycle control in bone marrow and vascular cells and effects of polyploidization on gene expression; adenosine receptors and vascular function.
  • Barbara M. Schreiber, PhD, Associate Professor. Role of atherogenic lipoproteins and serum amyloid A on aortic smooth muscle cell function and the development of atherosclerosis.
  • Michael Y. Sherman, PhD, Professor. Research in my lab has focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the central role of heat shock protein Hsp72 in prevention of cell death.
  • Elizabeth R. Simons, PhD, Professor. Stimulus responses and bactericidosis of human phagocytic cells.
  • Barbara D. Smith, PhD, Professor. Changes in gene expression of connective-tissue components associated with transformation and differentiation.
  • Gail E. Sonenshein, PhD, Professor. Roles and regulation of NF-kappa B transcription factors and the c-Myc oncogene in control of proliferation, apoptosis, and neoplastic transformation. Regulation of collagen gene expression and proliferation in vascular smooth-muscle cells.
  • Phillip J. Stone, PhD, Professor. The connective-tissue protein, elastin; its enzymatic destruction and repair in vitro and in vivo, associated with pathologic processes.
  • Karen Symes, PhD, Associate Professor. Molecular basis of cell movements during early embryonic development of Xenopus laevis, PDGF signaling,small GTP-binding protein signaling, cytoskeleton reorganization, and cell-matrix interactions.
  • Linda Taylor, PhD, Assistant Research Professor. Investigating the interaction of prostaglandins and cytokines on the expression of cyclooxygenase 1 and 2.
  • Keith Tornheim, PhD, Associate Professor. Role of metabolic oscillations in fuel stimulated insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells; altered fuel    metabolism and nitric oxide production in vascular disease in diabetes.
  • Paul A. Toselli, MD PhD, Associate Professor. Morphological characterization of stem cells, tissues, and genetically engineered mouse embryos and mice by light microscopic and transmission electron microscopic methods.
  • Abdulmaged M. Traish, PhD, Professor. Mechanism of steroid hormone action at the molecular level; role of hormones in cancer; role of neurotransmitters in regulation of smooth-muscle tone and the neurological regulation of erectile dysfunction.
  • Vickery Trinkaus-Randall, PhD, Professor. Regulation of proteoglycans in response to growth factors and regulation of calcium signaling and phosphorylation in response to injury.
  • Zhi-Xiong (Jim) Xiao, PhD, Professor. Functions of tumor suppressor proteins in cell cycle, cell proliferation, and genomic stability.
  • Joseph Zaia PhD, Associate Professor. Heparan sulfate-growth factor interactions
  • Vassilis I. Zannis, PhD, Professor. I. Mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of the apolipoprotein genes in vivo and in vitro. II. Elucidation of the structure-function relationship of human apoA-I and apoE and their relevance to cardoivascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease respectively.

Research Faculty in the Department

Joint Faculty (Primary Appointments in Other Departments)

Joint Faculty

Primary teaching affiliate
of BU School of Medicine