Leadership and Faculty

The major focus of investigators in this area is the use of genetic and molecular approaches to study the underlying mechanisms of cancer and factors that contribute to tumor progression. Examples include identification of cancer susceptibility genes, genetic variation in tumor formation, DNA damage and repair pathways, and carcinogens.

Waldemar Debinski
Focus of the identification of molecular markers/targets that are specific to brain tumors. Faculty Profile & Publications

Cristina Furdui
Research in our laboratory is directed towards applying advanced systems biology methodologies to i] investigate the timing of signaling events in the propagation of receptor tyrosine kinases signaling, ii] quantify the effect of oncogenic mutations or oxidation on the re-wiring of these signaling networks under pathogenic conditions, iii] apply clinical proteomics to identify molecular predictors of response to different  cancer therapies in an effort to create personalized therapies; and iv] interface time-resolved mass spectrometry with microfluidics technology and develop new nanokinetics platforms for quantitative monitoring of rapid enzyme kinetics/drug screening assays to further our understanding of potential drug targets at molecular level.

William Gmeiner
My lab is interested in understanding how efficacious anti-cancer drugs cause cancer cell death and in designing new drugs and novel drug delivery strategies.

Steven Kridel
Cancer proteases play pivotal roles in the progression of cancer. Fatty Acid Synthase and prostate cancer: Fatty acid synthase (FAS) has been established as a biomarker and prognostic indicator for prostate cancer. 

Timothy Pardee
My research focus is directed at understanding how Acute Myeloid Leukemia cells resist chemotherapy with the hope of using this information to design clinical trials and improve outcomes for patients with this devastating disease.

Alan Townsend
Mechanisms of resistance to cytotoxic and mutagenic agents; enzymes of glutathione metabolism; chemoprevention of cancer; oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses.

 

Studies in this area explore the contribution of specific genes to both physiologic and pathophysiologic processes.  A major focus is on the experimental manipulation of genes and gene expression in animal models and cell-based systems and analyses of phenotypic consequences. 

Ashok Hegde
Molecular biological, electrophysiological, and behavioral approaches to study questions on long-term memory.

Charles McCall
Neutrophil biology and biochemistry; inflammation of lung; signal transduction; phospholipid metabolism; expression of IL-1, TNFa and cyclooxygenase genes in phagocytes.

Lance Miller 
Transcriptional and genomic alterations of the "oncogenome" that drive tumorigenesis and predict patient outcomes.

Carol Milligan
Neuronal development, degeneration, and plasticity after injury: identification and characterization of differentially expressed genes in motoneuron cell death.

Nila Mishra
New therapeutic targets for the treatment and prevention of SLE.

Gloria Muday 
Hormonal controls of physiological processes with a focus on transcriptional controls of gene expression using genome wide and individual gene approaches to study cross talk between steroid hormones, leptin, and insulin in adipocyte cells and auxin and ethylene in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Barbara Nicklas 
Research focuses on understanding the metabolic and hormonal adaptations to exercise and dietary interventions in older individuals, and the role of genetics in determining these adaptations.

Ron Oppenheim
Developmental neurobiology; programmed cell death; growth factors and neurotrophic molecules.

David Ornelles
Molecular virology of adenovirus; the oncolytic and oncogenic potential of human adenovirus.

John Parks
High-density lipoprotein metabolism, inflammation, atherosclerosis and insulin resistance.

Tom Register
Modulation of the expression of cytokines and connective tissue genes during early atherogenesis.

Mary Sorci-Thomas
Regulation of apolipoprotein gene expression; structure-function relationships of apoprotein A-I.

Richard Weinberg
Structure and function of human apolipoprotein A-IV (apo A-IV), an intestinal protein synthesized during lipid absorption and incorporated into the surface of nascent chylomicrons.

The major focus of investigators in this area is the use of statistical analysis of genetic approaches. 

Fang-Chi Hsu 
Development and use of statistical methods in genetic epidemiology and longitudinal data.

Carl Langefeld 
Research focuses on the mapping of complex genetic traits.   

Maggie Ng 
Genetic epidemiology of metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.

Jielin Sun 
Identification of genetic risk factors for cancer and prediction of individual risk of common diseases using genetic profiling.

The major focus of investigators in this area is the use of genetic approaches to identify genes that contribute to human disease.  These include studies in families and populations and are facilitated by advanced, high-throughput technologies in combination with functional computational analysis. 

Barry Freedman
Molecular genetics of human renal disease, diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

Greg Hawkins
Molecular genetics of complex diseases.

Tim Howard 
Identification of genes for complex diseases, asthma and allergy.

The major focus of investigators in this area is the use of genetic approaches to identify factors that are involved in determining the outcome of pathogen infection. The immune cells that respond to infection as well as proteins produced by pathogens (both bacterial and viral) that contribute to virulence are studied.

Martha Alexander-Miller
Regulation of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes; control of functional avidity.

Rajendar Deora
Bordetella pathogenesis.

Steven Mizel
Vaccines against agents of bio-terrorism; flagellin signal transduction.

Griff Parks
Molecular biology of paramyxoviruses.

Sean Reid 
Streptococcal pathogenesis. 

The mission of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) is to harness the body’s ability to heal itself. Using biomaterials, genetic engineering, stem and progenitor cells, and tissue engineering modalities, the Institute investigates translational approaches ranging from gene and cell therapy to the replacement of damaged organs with engineered tissues. More than 130 investigators, students, research fellows, and postdocs work on more than 80 formal research programs. The WFIRM is a truly multidisciplinary environment where biologists, engineers, chemists, materials scientists, and clinicians of all types work side-by-side in a large, open laboratory environment. The training philosophy stresses interactions between investigators with different backgrounds in a team-environment to solve challenging clinical problems.

Colin Bishop
The overall focus of my laboratory concerns the genetics of primary sex determination, germ cell development and fertility.

Shay Soker
Stem and progenitor cell biology and genomics, molecular biology, angiogenesis

Mark Van Dyke
Genomics-guided biomaterials development, interaction of stem and progenitor cells with biomaterials, keratin biomaterials

Stephen Walker
Dr. Walker is broadly interested in using and developing molecular tools, especially array-based and sequencing technologies, to better understand transcriptional control that underlies development and disease processes.

Patricia G. Wilson 
Stem cell biology, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), genetic reprogramming, molecular biology, neurodevelopment, stem cell-mediated neural repair and restoration of function. 

James Yoo
Tissue engineering and clinical translation

Investigators in structural biology study the molecular structures and physical properties of proteins, nucleic acids and their complexes. The tools of molecular biology are used to synthesize proteins in large quantities suitable for physical analysis by X-ray crystallography, mass spectrometry, enzymology, and a variety of biophysical methods such as light scattering and sedimentation.

Rebecca Alexander
Understanding protein-nucleic acid interactions at the molecular level.

Jacquelyn Fetrow
Computational analysis of functional sites in proteins; development of methods to model biological networks from experimental time course data; and analysis of molecular dynamics and motion in proteins.

Roy Hantgan
Molecular mechanisms of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis; conformation of proteins in solution.

Tom Hollis
X-ray crystallographic studies of DNA repair proteins and Fanconi anemia-associated proteins.

Daniel Kim-Shapiro
Nitrogen oxide signaling in hemoglobin and other heme proteins in normal physiology, disease and therapeutics using various spectroscopies including EPR, light scattering, and time-resolved absorption.

Mark Lively
Analysis of protein structure and function using mass spectrometry, proteomics, and bioinformatics; proteolytic enzymes; cell biology and biochemistry of laryngopharyngeal reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Todd Lowther
X-ray crystallographic and biochemical analyses of enzymes that repair the oxidative damage to free and protein-incorporated methionine.

Derek Parsonage
Enzymology of bacterial enzymes involved in defending against oxidative stress: enzymes that utilize flavin and cysteine residues at the catalytic site.

Leslie Poole
Mechanistic enzymology of bacterial enzymes involved in protection against oxidative stress; novel roles of catalytic cysteine residues.