Molecular Pharmacology

Molecular pharmacology is the study of cellular components, pathways, and networks as they may be influenced by drugs to elicit therapeutic responses. Strengths of the Department of Pharmacology research programs include G protein coupled receptor signal transduction, ion channel physiology, lipid signaling, and neurotransmitter regulation.

Faculty

RESEARCH FOCUS: Structure activity relationships of novel opioid compounds, novel rescue therapies, opioid maintenance therapies, new analgesics with reduced abuse potential.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Sarcoma tumor biology.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Opioid signaling, pain, electrophysiology.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Bioinformatics, high-throughput siRNA/drug screening and functional genomics approaches to understand cancer biology and discover novel small molecule therapeutics.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Molecular Cardiovascular Biology.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Cancer cell biology, signal transduction, responses to DNA replication stress and DNA damaging chemotherapeutic drugs, genome stability and DNA repair.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Cardiovascular medicine, molecular basis of diabetes/obesity-induced cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Signal transduction in the immune system, T cell signaling pathways, immunotherapy strategies, protein regulation, and cancer therapeutics.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Mechanism of action of amphetamine at the dopamine transporter; substrate and protein kinase effects on transporter trafficking; drugs to stop effects of amphetamine.

Research Focus: RNA therapeutics, RNA splicing, antisense oligonucleotides, rare disease, genetics, inflammation, Usher syndrome, cystic fibrosis, Batten disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease

RESEARCH FOCUS: Platelets, Thrombosis, Hemostasis, Clotting, Lipids, Lipoxygenase, Clinical research, Translational research, 12-LOX.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Mechanisms of epileptic encephalopathy and cardiac arrhythmias linked to mutations in voltage-gated sodium channel genes; mechanisms of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP); ion channel structure and function; transgenic mouse models of neurological and cardiac disease; patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell neurons and cardiac myocytes.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Cellular and molecular neuroscience, Neuropsychiatric disease mechanisms, Bipolar disorder, Protein trafficking, Palmitoylation, Epithelial cell biology,Membrane structure, Mouse models, Electrophysiology.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Voltage-gated potassium channel, hERG, cardiac physiology and pathophysiology.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Schizophrenia; Depression, Glutamate signaling, GABAergic interneurons, Fast-Spiking Interneurons, Patch-Clamp Electrophysiology, Behavior, NMDA receptors.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Neurotransmitters, insulin, metabolomics.

Research Focus: Molecular mechanisms underlying pancreas development and function; Diabetes; Cell signaling; Gene regulation/expression; Cell fate; Islet biology.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Signal transduction pathways, inflammation, immune responses, tissue repair, and cancer metastasis.

RESEARCH FOCUS: GPCR trafficking and signaling, opioid, drug addiction.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Cellular and molecular basis of Type 2 diabetes; ER stress and protein folding diseases; metabolic regulation of ion channel activity; optical methods; drug discovery in diabetes; synaptic transmission and metabolic health of neurons after brain trauma, models of cell function and signaling.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Structure/function of cytochrome P450 enzymes; drug metabolism; drug design.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Adaptation of state-of-the-art organic chemistry techniques (including SPOS) for radiochemical applications, Microwave mediated radiochemistry, Development of multi-modality biomarkers for PET-MRI.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Lysosomal storage diseases and the biochemistry, cellular biology and pharmacology of sphingolipids.

RESEARCH FOCUS: G proteins; G protein coupled-receptors; Cell Signaling Pathways; Drug Discovery; Cardiac Hypertrophy; Innate Immune Cell Regulation; Phosphatidylinositol, Calcium, and Protein kinase Signaling.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Cardiovascular toxicology, developmental origins of health and disease, sex differences, epigenetics

RESEARCH FOCUS: Heterotrimeric G protein Signaling, G protein folding chaperones, Mechanisms of Adhesion GPCR action, Somatic G protein disease mutations, GNAQ/11-driven uveal melanoma, High throughput screening and small molecule probe discovery.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Mechanisms of action of addictive drugs. To provide medications for pain relief and the treatment of addictions.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Neurotoxicology, neuropharmacology/neurophysiology and neurological disorders.