Primary Basic Science Investigator Faculty
-
Alan R. Brash, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
We study the biosynthesis mechanisms of oxygenated arachidonic acid metabolites and their roles in disease processes, focusing on (i) the structural and functional characterization of “R” and “S” lipoxygenases, (ii) novel lipoxygenase pathways including the formation and transformation of allene oxide intermediates, and (iii) the role of newly identified epithelial lipoxygenases in inflammation, hyperplasia, and cancer.
-
Ben Brown, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology
The Brown lab develops and applies computational methods in chemistry, structural biology, and artificial intelligence to address unmet medical need at the atomic level.
-
Erin S. Calipari, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology
The Calipari lab seeks to characterize and modulate the precise circuits in the brain that underlie both adaptive and maladaptive processes in reward, motivation, and associative learning, to develop improved treatments for complex and devastating psychiatric disorders.
-
Valentina Cigliola, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology
The Cigliola lab studies mechanisms of tissue regeneration with primary focus on the spinal cord.
-
Sean Davies, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology
-
Prashant C. Donthamsetti, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology
The Donthamsetti lab seeks to uncover the role of various neuronal receptors in health and disease using highly precise molecular tools developed in-house. To accomplish this, they employ a multidisciplinary approach that spans molecular biology, high-throughput screening, microscopy, electrophysiology, and rodent studies.
-
Ronald (Ron) B. Emeson, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
-
Barbara M. Fingleton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology
-
Vsevolod V. (Seva) Gurevich, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
We study structure and function of arrestin proteins that play key role in the regulation of GPCR-dependent and -independent cell signaling. We focus on three out of four arrestin subtypes expressed in mammals, visual arrestin-1 and non-visual arrestin2- and -3 (a.k.a. b-arrestin1 and 2). We use biochemical, biophysical, and structural experiments with purified proteins, as well as in-cell and in vivo (genetically modified mice) models.
-
Heidi E. Hamm, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
-
Tina M. Iverson, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
-
Carrie K. Jones, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology
-
Ege T. Kavalalı, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology
The Kavalali lab investigates the molecular mechanisms and functional roles of synaptic signaling and neurotransmission in the central nervous system. They focus on spontaneous neurotransmission as a unique signaling pathway and its involvement in antidepressant action.
-
Craig W. Lindsley, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
The Lindsley lab focuses of research in our group is drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, and synthetic chemistry (total synthesis).
-
Shan Meltzer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology
The Meltzer lab uses a combination of mouse genetics, sequencing, anatomy, physiology and behavior to investigate key molecular and cellular mechanisms of somatosensory circuit assembly to provide insights for treating nerve injury, pain, and somatosensory dysfunctions in diseases.
-
Lisa M. Monteggia, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
-
Quynh Anh Nguyen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology
-
Colleen M. Niswender, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology
The Niswender lab uses a combination of molecular pharmacology, electrophysiology, rodent behavior, and human induced pluripotent stem cells to study the biology of metabotropic glutamate receptors in the context of health and disease. We are particularly interested in the therapeutic potential of the metabotropic glutamate receptors in neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, Rett syndrome, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorders.
-
Richard (Rick) Sando, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology
The Sando laboratory studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms of synapse formation and neural circuit assembly in the mammalian central nervous system.
-
Claus Schneider, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
-
Cody A. Siciliano, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology
-
Benjamin (Ben) W. Spiller, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology
My research centers on structural studies at the interface of the immune system and foreign proteins, with a focus on novel mechanisms in epitope discovery, antibody function, and host-pathogen interactions. Current efforts include investigating IgE-mediated allergies, developing single-chain camelid antibodies, and collaborating on structural studies of bacterial and viral antigens to inform vaccine development.
-
Brian E. Wadzinski, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology
The Wadzinski lab utilizes biochemical, immunological, and molecular biology approaches to better understand the structure, function, and regulation of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). His group is particularly interested in Jordan’s Syndrome, which is characterized by de novo mutations in a PP2A regulatory subunit.