Dr. Akassoglou has pioneered studies in the investigation of neurovascular and neuroimmune mechanisms in neurologic diseases, and in particular the role of the blood clotting factors in CNS autoimmunity, trauma, and neurodegeneration. Her aim is to understand the mechanisms that control the communication between the brain, immune and vascular systems with the ultimate goal to design novel therapies for neurologic diseases—and in particular, multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases.
TGFβ signaling is important in cancer, vascular, and stem cell biology, as well as tumor drug-resistance and immunotherapy. We study how TGFβ regulates these processes in vivo, and how genetic variation affects TGFβ related diseases and drug outcomes.
Our research focuses on the mechanobiologic pathways controlling stem cell and skeletal cell differentiation in bone and cartilage. We seek to understand how these pathways maintain the mechanical integrity of the healthy skeleton, and how this is disrupted in skeletal diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis.
Michelle’s lab develops innovative approaches to screen for chemical tools and drug leads, using biophysical approaches like fragment-based drug discovery and biological approaches including high-content imaging with primary cells and organisms. Our goal is to demonstrate ‘druggability’ of new target classes and to use our compounds to discover new targets for drug discovery. Areas of interest include protein-protein interactions, allosteric and scaffolding sites in enzymes, and orphan and neglected diseases.
The Barcellos-Hoff laboratory studies radiation carcinogenesis and biologically augmented radiotherapy. In studies funded by DOE and NASA, she describe the complexity of radiation effects on biological systems and identified new mechanisms underlying radiation carcinogenesis. Translational research based on aspects of these low dose radiation studies provided new insights into the role of transforming growth factor beta (TGFß) in genomic stability and the DNA damage response and a rationale for implementing TGFß inhibition during radiotherapy.
The incidence of stress-related illnesses like irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), have surged in the past few decades. The underlying cause of these and other stress-related diseases involves a complex interaction between genes and environment. In response to a stressor, a plethora of genes are rapidly turned "on" (activated) or "off" (repressed).
We explore how the cell nucleus is built, specialized across cell types, and maintained over time to influence cellular identity. We are uncovering principles of nuclear organization and defining how the nucleus is disrupted by aging and disease.
My lab studies molecular genetics and signaling pathways during hepatic carcinogenesis. Specifically, using genomic approaches including expression arrays and array based CGH, we have identified large numbers of genes which are deregulated during liver cancer development. Using murine models, we are studying how these genetic alterations contribute to malignant transformation and progression in vivo. Our current studies focus on AKT/mTOR and Notch pathways and how they regulate cancer metabolism and cancer cell proliferation.
Seemay Chou is in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Her lab investigates the mechanisms by which bacteria interact with specific organisms, including other microbes and tick disease vectors by which they can be transmitted to humans.
Tejal Desai is currently the Sorensen Family Dean of Engineering at Brown Univeristy and adjunct professor at UCSF. During her time at UCSF, she was the Ernest L. Prien Chair of the Department of Bioengineerinbg and Therapeutic Sciences, the Deborah Cowan Endowed Professor, Department of Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences, Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); and Professor in Residence, Department of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley (UCB).
The goal of our research is to investigate mechanisms of longevity, resilience and neurodegenerative disease. Broadly we investigate how aging pathways can confer resilience to a brain and counter neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Using genetic mouse models, cell culture methods, and study of human populations using cutting-edge techniques, we study whether longevity-derived mechanisms can pave a path toward development of urgently needed therapies in aging and disease.
