Research StrengthsResearch in the Department is geared towards solving fundamental problems in cancer biology, development, eukaryotic protein synthesis, free radicals and disease, genetics, molecular biology, protein chemistry, regulation of gene expression, signal transduction, and viral pathogenesis. Several labs focus on determining the mechanisms of cancer progression in the blood, breast, prostate, and skin. Screens to identify small molecules that target rapidly dividing cells are underway. Genetic studies using nematodes (C. elegans) and yeast (S. cerevisiae) seek to uncover pathways that regulate the development of the nervous system and the cell cycle, respectively. The regulation of eukaryotic protein synthesis and translational control of cancer progression are major focuses of the Department. Kinetic, mechanistic, and structural studies of molecular chaperones and tRNA synthetases focus on the role these proteins play in neurological disorders and apoptosis, respectively. Research in eukaryotic signal transduction is geared towards uncovering how signals are transmitted from the cell surface to the nucleus and the roles receptors, kinases, phosphatases and the proteosome play in these events. Chromatin's role in regulating gene expression, glucose transport, and insulin biochemistry are also active areas of research.
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