NCB - The Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology

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• Sherif A. Abdel-Rahman, Ph.D. 
• Associate Professor, Departmetns of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Preventive Medicine
• Research InterestUnderstanding how inherited genetic characteristics influence the susceptibility of individuals to environmental agents and affect their response to drug therapy.
• Bill T. Ameredes, M.S., Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
• Research InterestMechanisms of functional resolution of allergic airway inflammation and asthma, through molecular and cell-signaling pathways involving IL-10, NO, and beta-receptors
• Naseem H. Ansari, Ph.D.
• Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ophthalmology
• Research InterestUnderstand the biochemical mechanism(s) of oxidative pathologies such as senile cataract, Age-Related Macular Degeneration and secondary complications of diabetes.
• Jose M. Barral, M.D., Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
• Research Interest: Molecular mechanisms during de novo protein folding; protein quality control; protein misfolding diseases.
• Krishna M. Bhat, Ph.D.
• Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology
• Research Interest1) Adult brain development, function and disease, 2) Axon guidance and synaptic connections, and 3) Self-renewal and asymmetric division of neural precursor stem cells in the CNS
• Darren F. Boehning, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Cell Biology Program Director
• Research Interest: Apoptotic Regulatory Mechanisms; Neurodegeneration.
• Ashok Kumar, Chopra, Ph.D., C.Sc.
• Professor, Microbiology and Immunology
• Research Interest: Understanding cell signaling events in host cells after infection with various bacterial agents (e.g., Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis, Salmonella enterica, Aeromonas hydrophila, etc.). Our studies also involve genomics and proteomics approaches as well as immunological parameters to develop new generation vaccines against these deadly pathogens.
• Jin Mo Chung, Ph.D.
• Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology
• Research Interest: Somatosensory system; Mechanisms of Neuropathic pain; Cell signaling and reactive oxygen species.
• Thomas J. Collins, Ph.D.
• Professor, Neuroscience and Cell Biology
• Larry Denner, Ph.D.
• Professor, Dept. of Internal Medicine
• Research Interest: Signal transduction pathways in growth regulation of stem cells; human and animal studies of diabetes; steroidogenesis/reproductive endocrinology; molecular mechanisms of learning and memory in Alzheimer's Disease; mass spectrometry approaches to signaling; systems biology in health and disease.
• Douglas DeWitt, Ph.D.
• Director, Moody Center for Traumatic Brain & Spinal Cord Injury/Mission Connect; Professor of Anesthesiology, Director, Charles R. Allen Research Laboratories
• Research Interest: Experimental traumatic brain injury, cerebral vascular regulation.
• William J. Durham, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine-Endocrinology
• Research Interest: Hormone replacement, muscle metabolism
• Cornelis (Kees) Elferink, Ph.D.
• Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology; Mary Gibbs Jones Distinguished Chair in Environmental Toxicology, Director, Sealy Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Scientist, Sealy Center for Cancer Cell Biology
• Research Interest: Molecular mechanisms involved in liver homeostasis.
• Lisa A. Elferink, Ph.D.
• Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology; Scientist, Sealy Center for Cancer Cell Biology
• Research Interest: Molecular regulation of receptor trafficking and signaling in gastrointestinal disease and Head and Neck Cancers.
• Celeste Finnerty, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Surgery
• Research Interest: Identification of proteomic and genomic modulators and predictors for the development of hypertrophic scarring.
• Randall L. Given, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Neuroscience and Cell Biology
• Research Interest: Structural and functions changes related to the first interactions of the embryo with the maternal endometrium, a process called implantation.
• Nima Goharkhay, M.D., Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Ob-Gyn Maternal Fetal Medicine
• Research Interest: Prenatal Diagnosis, Medical Complication of Pregnancy, Preterm Labor
• Gary D. Hankins, M.D.
• Professor & Chair, Ob-Gyn Administration
• Research Interest: Maternal and Fetal Physiology; Critical Care Obstetrics; Operative Obstetrics; Normal and Abnormal Labors; Hypertensive Disorders in pregnancy.
• Hal K. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D.
• Professor, Pathology
• Research Interest: Mechanisms of acute inflammation. Roles of neuropeptides and epithelium in inflammation. Wound healing.
• Helen Hellmich, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Anesthesiology
• Research Interest: Molecular mechanisms of neuronal survival and neuronal cell death after traumatic brain injury.
• Mark R. Hellmich, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Surgery (General)
• Research Interest: Elucidation of the role of small peptide hormones and their cognate receptors in epithelial cell biology and carcinogenesis
• David N. Herndon, M.D.
• Professor, Surgery-Burn
• Research Interest: Pathophysiology of thermal burns; wound healing; protein synthesis; inhalation injury; anabolic agents in the treatment of burns; rehabilitation.
• Claire E. Hulsebosch, Ph.D.
• Director of Mission Connect, Vice-Chair and Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology
• Research Interest: Spinal cord injury, brain injury and other central nervous system trauma, neurotrophins, stem cell transplants and mechanisms of central pain.
• George Jackson, M.D., Ph.D.
• Professor, Neurology
• Research Interests: Drosophila genetic models used to study cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.
• Myoung-Goo Kang, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology
• Research Interest: Proteomic identification and functional characterization of AMPA receptor complex.
• Rakez Kayed, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Neurology
• Research Interest: Protein misfolding and aggregation, amyloid fibrils and various other aggregates characteristic of amyloid (misfolding) diseases. These include Alzheimer's disease, immunoglobulin-light-chain disease, type II diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, prion disease, serum amyloidoses, and familial amyloid polyneuropathies.
• Monica Longo, M.D.
• Assistant Professor, Ob/Gyn Resident Training
• Neslihan M. Martinez, Ph.D.
• Assitant Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Bio
• Sankar Mitra, Ph.D.
• Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
• Research Interest: Oxidative stress, aging and DNA repair.
• Moore, Melinda (Sheffield), Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
• Research Interest: Skeletal muscle loss with aging and cancer and interventions such as androgens, exercise, nutrition and enhanced perfusion to facilitate muscle hypertrophy and reduce muscle atrophy in humans. Stable isotopic methodologies to examine muscle protein metabolism in humans and signaling molecules responsible for the hypertrophy and atrophy of skeletal muscle.
• Volker E. Neugebauer, M.D., Ph.D.
• Professor and Vice Chair for Education, Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Director, Neuroscience Graduate Program
• Research Interest: Emotional-affective and cognitive brain functions and behavior; pain mechanisms
• John Papaconstantinou, Ph.D.
• Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Research Interest: Molecular and genetic mechanisms of aging and longevity determination. Role ox oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction in development of aging phenotype.
• J. Regino Perez-Polo, Ph.D.
• Professor and Chair, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Member, Sealy Center for Molecular Science
• Research Interest: Responses to acute and chronic trauma to central nervous system.
• Donald S. Prough, M.D.
• Professor and Chair, Anesthesiology
• Research Interest: Response to traumatic brain injury; zinc neurotoxicity.
• Blake B. Rasmussen, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Physical Therapy
• Research Interest: Regulation of human muscle protein synthesis by exercise and amino acids
• Vicente A. Resto, M.D., Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
• Research Interest: My laboratory studies the molecular processes that drive lymphatic metastasis in cancer. Specifically, we apply a combination of fluid dynamics, adhesion molecule biology, migration biology, 3D culture techniques, biochemistry and functional genetics to study this process. Our goal is to understand this little studied aspect of cancer in ways that will maximally translate into clinically applicable diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
• George R. Saade, M.D.
• Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Research Interest: Maternal and fetal physiology, particularly relating to cardiovascular adaptations to pregnancy, as well as fetal development and its relationship with long term consequences.
• Sushil K. Sarna, Ph.D.
• Professor, Internal Medicine-Gastroenterology
• Research Interest: Developmental origins of adult diseases, including functional bowel disorders, gut inflammation, gut-brain axis and diabetes.
• Sarita Sastry, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular biology
• Research Interest: cell adhesion, rho gtpases, cancer cell invasion/metastasis.
• Tor C. Savidge, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, & Hepatology
• Research Interest: Novel regulatory mechanisms in gastrointestinal inflammation and cancer.
• Pomila Singh, Ph.D.
• Professor, Neuroscience and Cell Biology
• Research Interest: Growth factors, signaling, infection and inflammation in the biology of colon cancer and colon carcinogenesis, dietary prevention.
• Marguerite A. Sognier, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Education Outreach, NASA/JSC
• Svetla Stoilova-McPhie, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology
• Giulio Taglialatela, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology
• Research Interest: Mechanisms of neurodysfunction and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease and related amyloid diseases.
• Shao-Jun Tang, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology
• Research Interest: Elucidate the role and mechanism of the Wnt signaling in mammalian CNS
• Robert L. Ullrich, Ph.D.
• Professor, Radiation Oncology
• Research Interest: Mechanisms of radiation-induced cancer. The primary interest for many years has been on the pathogenesis of mammary cancer using a murine model system that permits study of these processes from the molecular level to progression to the neoplastic phenotype. More recently research has expanded to include mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia and hepatocellular carcinoma.
• Randall J. Urban, M. D.
• Professor, Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
• Research Interest: IGF-I effects on ovarian steroidogenesis; Aging and hormonal effects on muscle function; Traumatic brain injury and pituitary dysfunction;Umbilical cord blood stem cells: isolation and transdifferentiation into islets; Diabetes community outreach programs.
• Gracie Vargas, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Biomedical Engineering Center
• Research Interest: Functional nonlinear optical imaging and coherence gated techniques for the study of cellular and molecular basis of neurodegenerative disease; use of contrast agents and molecular specific probes for enhanced image contrast.
• Elena Volpi, M.D.
• Professor, Internal Medicine and Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Daisy Emery Allen Distinguished Chair in Geriatric Medicine, Director, Sealy Center on Aging Metabolism Research Core, Associate Director, Institute for Translations Sciences
• Research Interest: Insulin sensitivity, protein synthesis.
• Cheryl S. Watson, Ph.D.
• Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Research Interest: Mechanisms of steroid actions; nongenomic pathways for estrogens and xenoestrogens.
• Ping Wu, M.D., Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Neuroscience & Cell Biology
• Research Interest: Human stem cell biology, Stem cell therapy and gene therapy for neurological disorders.
• Chandra Yallampalli, D.V.M., Ph.D.
• Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Research Interest: My laboratory is engaged in research into the involvement of nitric oxide, CGRP family pepetides, cytokines and growth factors in the control of: 1) vascular functions and adaptations during pregnancy, and in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia, 2) in the regulation of uterine receptivity to embryo implantation, maintenance of uterine quiescence during pregnancy and initiation of labor, 3) regulation of placental function and fetal growth, and 4) in regulating the immune systems and host defence mechanisms against infections.

Emeritus & Off-Campus Faculty

 

• Tetsuo Ashizawa, M.D.
• Professor and Chairman, Neurology: Clinical neurogenetics and neurodegenerative disorders with genome instability 
• B. Mark Evers, M.D.
• Professor, Department of Surgery; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Director, Sealy Center for Cancer Cell Biology: Signal transduction pathways regulating intestinal cell growth, secretion and inflammation.
• Kathleen L. O'Connor, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, Department of Surgery: Role of integrin extracellular matrix receptors, cAMP/PKA and the Rho family of small GTPases in the migration of invasive carcinoma cells from breast, colon and pancreatic cancers.
• Steven A. Weinman, M.D., Ph.D.
• Professor, Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Director, M.D., Ph.D. Combined Program:  Pathogenesis of Hepatitis C and alcoholic liver disease: role of viral mitochondrial interactions in redox dependent host responses
• William D. Willis Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
• Professor Emeritus, Neuroscience & Cell Biology: Spinal cord mechanisms of pain and analgesia