Thematic Research Areas: Development and Differentiation

Hector Leo Aguila, Assistant Professor of Immunology, Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Hematopoiesis and bone marrow microenvironment; lymphoid cell development; stem cell biology.

Rashmi Bansal, Associate Professor of Neuroscience; Ph.D., Central Drug Research Institute, 1976. The developmental, cellular and molecular biology of oligodendrocytes (OLs).

Elisa Barbarese, Professor of Neuroscience, Ph.D., McGill University. Developmental neurobiology, myelination, and multiple sclerosis.

John H. Carson, Professor of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology, B.A., Reed College, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. RNA transport in cells of the nervous system.

Stormy J. Chamberlain, Assistant Professor of Genetics and Developmental Biology. Ph.D., University of Florida. Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell models to study 15q11-q13 imprinting disorders.

Stephen J. Crocker, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, Ph.D., University of Ottowa. Stem cells; glia; metalloproteinases; cytokines; development; pathology; tissue culture.

Caroline N. Dealy, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Oral Rehabilitation, Biomaterials and Skeletal Development, Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development. Regulation of articular cartilage differentiation and homeostasis by matrix and growth factors; genetic control of skeletal development and regeneration; stem cells for repair or regeneration of cartilage or limb tissue; stem cells as models for cartilage disease .

Hicham Drissi, Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. Ph.D., Universite Paris V. Molecular pathways of bone and cartilage repair.

Paul Epstein, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cell Biology. Receptor signal transduction, second messengers, and protein phosphorylation in control of cell growth and regulation; purification and regulation of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases; role of calmodulin in mediating Ca2+-dependent cell processes.

Guo-Hua Fong, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, Ph.D., University of Illinois. Developmental biology of the vascular system, VEGF-A receptor signal transduction, embryonic stem cells and gene knock-out in mice.

Brenton R. Graveley, Professor of Genetics and Developmental Biology. Ph.D., University of Vermont, 1996. Regulation of alternative pre-mRNA splicing.

Gloria Gronowicz, Professor in the Department of Surgery with a secondary appointment in Orthopaedics, Ph.D., Columbia University. Projects: 1) Response of bone cells to implant biomaterials, 2) the effect of the human biofield, through Therapeutic Touch, on normal cells and breast cancer cells, and 3) otosclerosis.

Arthur R. Hand, Professor of Craniofacial Sciences and Cell Biology, D.D.S., University of California, Los Angeles. Study of protein and gene expression in rodent salivary glands during normal growth and development and in various experimental conditions employing morphological, immunological and biochemical methodology.

Marc Hansen, Professor of Medicine, M.S., University of Wisconsin 1982, Ph.D. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine 1986. Molecular genetics of osteosarcoma and related bone diseases.

Marja Hurley, Professor of Medicine, M.D., University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Molecular mechanisms by which members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGFs) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) families, (produced by osteoblasts, osteoclasts and stromal cells) regulate bone development, remodeling and disorders of bone. Fgf2 knockout and Fgf2 transgenic mice are utilized in loss and gain of function experiments to elucidate the role of FGF-2 in disorders of bone including osteoporosis.

Laurinda A. Jaffe, Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., UCLA, 1977. The cell biology of fertilization, and the regulation of meiosis in oocytes.

Barbara Kream, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Genetics and Developmental Biology. Hormonal regulation of bone remodeling.

Marc Lalande, Ph.D., Professor and Head of Genetics and Developmental Biology. Epigenetics including the control of gene expression in embryonic carcinoma stem cells and genomic imprinting and its association with neurogenetics disorders.

Leo Lefrançois, Professor of Immunology, B.S., Colorado State University; Ph.D., Wake Forest University. T-cell activation and migration, T-cell memory; immune response to infection; tolerance; vaccines.

James Li, Ph.D., Assistant Professor. Development of the central nervous system (CNS), with an emphasis on the mammalian cerebellum.

Xuejun (June) Li, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, Ph.D., Fudan University. Stem cells; neural development and degeneration.

Alexander Lichtler, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Genetics and Developmental Biology. Regulation of collagen gene transcription; retrovirus vectors; role of homeobox genes in limb development.

Mina Mina, Professor of Orthodontics and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pediatric Dentistry and Advanced Education in General Dentistry; Head, Division of Pediatric Dentistry, D.M.D., National University of Iran, Ph.D., University of Connecticut Health Center. Development of the mandibular arch including the elongation and polarized outgrowth of the mandibular primordia and subsequent differentiation of the skeletal tissues in spatially defined patterns. Characterization of genetic and epigenetic influences involved in the pattern formation and skeletogenesis of the chick mandible and mouse tooth germ. Regulation of patterning in the developing mandible and developing teeth by mandibular epithelium, extracellular matrix molecules, growth factors, and transcription factors.

William A. Mohler, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Genetics and Developmental Biology. Developmental cell fusion; C. elegans genetics; multidimensional imaging of developmental and cell biological processes.

D. Kent Morest, M.D., Professor of Neuroscience. Role of cell and tissue interactions in the migration and differentiation of neurons; structure and function of neurons during development and synapse formation.

John J. Peluso, Professor of Cell Biology, Ph.D., West Virginia University, 1974. Hormonal control of ovarian follicular growth and atresia (apoptosis); characterization of a putative membrane receptor for progesterone.

Ernst Reichenberger, Assistant Professor of Oral Rehabilitation, Biomaterials and Skeletal Development, Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development. Ph.D., University of Erlangen. The Reichenberger laboratory is interested in learning about the complex processes required for generating and maintaining the skin and bones. To find out how the mechanisms operate in a healthy person, we study human genetic disorders in which they are disrupted.

David W. Rowe, Professor of Reconstructive Sciences, Director of Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development, M.D., University of Vermont. Identification and characterization of cells within the mesenchymal lineages that lead to formation and maintenance skeletal tissues.  Murine models for assessing cell based therapies for regeneration of adult skeletal structures.

Linda Shapiro, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., University of Michigan 1984. To dissect and analyze the regulation of tissue-restricted gene expression, my laboratory has concentrated on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling transcription of the CD13/APN gene in hematopoietic cells and more recently, in angiogenic endothelium.

William B. Upholt, Ph.D., Professor of Oral Rehabilitation, Biomaterials and Skeletal Development, Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development; Director, Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Graduate Program. Regulation of gene expression during embryonic development; procollagen gene expression and regulation in limb chondrogenesis and skeletogenesis; pattern formation; homeobox genes.

Anthony T. Vella, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Ph.D., Cornell University. Characterizing peripheral T cell tolerance versus long-term immunity.

Charles Wolgemuth, Associate Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., University of Arizona. My research focuses on determining the physical underpinnings of biological processes. My primary interests lie in determining how forces are produced inside cells in order to handle processes such as creating and maintaining cell shape, and driving cell motility and cell growth. Some areas of research include wound healing, cancer metastatsis, and pathogen-host interactions during Lyme disease.

Nada Zecevic, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, M.D., Ph.D., University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Cellular and molecular aspects of CNS development; primate cerebral cortex; microglia; multiple sclerosis.