Basic and Translational Research Program
Faculty Sponsor List
Summer 2012
Below is a list of Brown faculty with approved Basic and Translational Research
projects. We urge you to contact them early in your application process to ascertain
that they will be available as mentors and to discuss the specifics of potential projects.
BTR Program Application Process
If you would like to apply to the BTR Program AND are also interested in participating in
the SC Program, simply fill out the SC Program Application form
(http://brown.edu/academics/medical/education/scholarly-concentration-program) and
indicate that you are interested in BTR Program funding. Please follow all SC Program
Application guidelines in terms of project descriptions, faculty letters of support, etc.
If you would like to apply to the BTR Program ONLY, please fill out the Summer
Funding Application form (http://brown.edu/academics/medical/education/studentenrichment-opportunities/funding-opportunities/summer-assistantships) and indicate
that you are interested in BTR Program funding. Please follow all Summer Funding
Application guidelines in terms of project descriptions, faculty letters of support, etc.
Faculty Member
Jorge Albina
Professor of Surgery
Rhode Island Hospital
Jorge_Albina@Brown.EDU
Jason Aliotta
Asst Professor of Medicine
Rhode Island Hospital
Faculty Project
Dr. Albina’s laboratory has recently focused its attention on the
early events that follow tissue injury. Successful wound healing
requires the coordinated activities of multiple cell types that
constitute the inflammatory and reparative response to tissue
injury. The identification of growth factors, cytokines, matrix
components, and other products present in the wound promises
clinical applications that will allow active therapeutic intervention.
Dr. Aliotta is focused on the role of stem cells in pulmonary repair
and regeneration. His research emphasizes the role of stem cell
plasticity, the ability of stem cells to transdifferentiate to form cell
types present in tissues other than the ones in which they reside.
Jaliotta@lifespan.org
Alfred Ayala
Professor of Surgery (Research)
Rhode Island Hospital
Aayala@lifespan.org
Bum-Rak Choi
Asst Professor of Medicine
(Research)
Rhode Island Hospital
bchoi@lifespan.org
Dr. Ayala’s research interests include differential effects of sepsis
on immune cell function, the role of programmed cell
death/apoptosis in the immune dysfunction associated with
hemorrhage and/or sepsis, and the contribution of the apoptotic
process to phagocyte-mediated acute lung injury resulting from
shock and/or septic insults.
Dr. Choi is interested in cellular electrophysiology. His ongoing
projects focus on the possible involvement of the Purkinje network,
a highly specialized conduction system, in ventricular fibrillation,
and mechanisms underlying AV nodal reentry. The latter project is
based on the hypothesis that dual pathways within the AV node
are substantially changed with aging, thereby providing an
anatomical substrate for reentry.
Gaurav Choudhary
Asst Professor of Medicine
Veteran Affairs Medical Center
Gauray.choudhary@va.gov
Monique DePaepe
Assoc Professor of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine
Women & Infants Hospital
mdepaepe@wihri.org
Charles Eaton
Professor of Family Medicine
Memorial Hospital of RI
Charles_Eaton@mhri.org
Constantine Gatsonis
Professor of Medical Science
BioMed Community Health
Constantine_Gatsonis@brown.edu
Philip Gruppuso
Assoc Dean of Medicine
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Hasbro Children’s Hospital
Philip_Gruppuso@brown.edu
Elizabeth Harrington
Assoc Professor of Medicine
(Research)
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Elizabeth_Harrington@brown.edu
Edward Hawrot
Professor of Medical Science
BioMed Molecular Pharmacology,
Phsyciology & Biotechnology
Edward_Hawrot@brown.edu
Dr. Choudhary’s research is focused on mechanisms underlying
the vascular dysfunction seen in hypoxia. He utilizes molecular
biology and electrohysiological approaches. A major area of
emphasis is understanding the role of natriuretic peptides in
hypoxia and intermittent-hypoxia mediated endothelial dysfunction.
Dr. DePaepe’s research focuses on the regulation of alveolar
remodeling in normal and pathological lung development. Of
particular interest are deciphering the role and regulation of
apoptosis and angiogenesis in alveolarization. It is anticipated
that these studies will contribute to the development of novel
therapeutic strategies for bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a chronic
lung disease of preterm infants characterized by arrested alveolar
development.
Charles Eaton is family physician researcher with special interest
in the prevention of coronary heart disease through a more
thorough understanding of its risk factors, genetic predisposition,
and predisposing environmental factors. His research has
focused on better understanding the role of family history, physical
inactivity, nutrition, and novel risk factors in the prevention of
coronary heart disease.
Dr. Gatsonis has research interests in Bayesian inference and its
applications to problems in biostatistics, medical technology
evaluation with emphasis on the clinical evaluation of diagnostic
imaging, bioinformatics with emphasis on proteomics, and
methodological aspects of health services and outcomes research.
Dr. Gruppuso’s laboratory studies the control of hepatocyte
proliferation during normal liver development, liver regeneration
and carcinogenesis. His work has most recently focused on
nutrient signaling to the cell cycle. Of particular interest are the
signaling events downstream from the nutrient signaling kinase,
mTOR, and the mechanisms that account for the resistance of
cancer cells to the growth inhibitory effects of the mTOR inhibitor,
rapamycin. Potential loci of rapamycin resistance that Dr.
Gruppuso’s laboratory is studying include the regulation of cyclin
E-containing complexes, the translation initiation process and
ribosome biogenesis.
The focus of Dr. Harrington’s research is the characterization of
intracellular signaling mechanisms which regulate endothelial cell
functions and/or responses to environmental cues. Vascular injury
has been implicated in the pathogenesis of disorders such as
sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Thus,
identification of molecules key in regulating endothelial cell
functions may lead to therapeutic strategies for controlling
vascular tissue damage and enhancing repair.
Dr. Hawrot pursues biochemical and pharmacological studies
aimed at understanding the fundamental structure-function
relationship of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). He also
studies the molecular basis for the highly specific recognition of
muscle-type nAChRs by certain snake venom-derived toxins
classified as alpha-neurotoxins. More recently, he has used
homologous recombination techniques to construct a knock-in
mouse in which the alpha3 gene encoding one subtype of
neuronal nAChRs has been minimally mutated to impart
pharmacological sensitivity to the classic nicotinic antagonist,
alpha-bungarotoxin. These mice should enable a systematic
determination of the role of alpha3-containing nAChRs in behavior
and nervous system function.
Sorin Istrail
Professor of Computer Science
Computer Science at Brown
University
Sorin_Istrail@brown.edu
Agnes Kane
Professor of Medical Science
BioMed Pathology & Laboratory
Medicine
Anges_Kane@brown.edu
James Klinger
Assoc Professor of Medicine
Rhode Island Hospital
jklinger@lifespan.org
Diane Lipscombe
Professor of Neuroscience
Director of Neuroscience Graduate
Program
Diane_Lipscombe@brown.edu
Gong Xin Liu
Asst Professor of Medicine
(Research)
Rhode Island Hospital
Gliu@lifespan.org
Qing Lu
Asst Professor of Medicine
(Research)
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Qing_lu@brown.edu
John Marshall
Professor of Medical Science
BioMed Molecular Pharmacology,
Physciology & Biotechnology
John_Marshall@brown.edu
Professor Istrail's research focuses on computational molecular
biology, medical and pharma informatics, statistical physics,
combinatorial algorithms, and computational complexity. His main
projects are Genomic Regulation and Gene Regulatory Networks,
Computational Methods for SNPs, Haplotypes and Disease
Associations, Medical Bioinformatics, Programming Languages for
Genomics, and Protein Folding Algorithms and Simulation.
Dr. Kane’s primary area of interest is the potential health effects of
environmental and occupational exposure to asbestos fibers,
mixed dusts, and nanomaterials. Her laboratory has developed a
murine model of asbestos-induced malignant mesothelioma that
reproduces the morphologic and molecular characteristics of the
human disease. This murine model will be used to develop new
strategies for prevention and treatment of asbestos-related cancer.
Dr. Klinger is focused on the role of natriuretic peptides in
pulmonary endothelial cell barrier function, vascular smooth
muscle proliferation and right ventricular hypertrophic responses.
The major goals of his work are to explore cellular mechanisms by
which the natriuretic peptides and their receptors modulate
thrombin-induced barrier dysfunction in pulmonary microvascular
endothelial cells and mitigate proliferation and hypertrophy of
pulmonary vascular smooth muscle and cardiac myocytes.
Dr. Lipscombe studies voltage-gated calcium channels, the
gatekeepers of excitation-driven calcium entry in all excitable cells.
These channels control a diverse array of functions. Alternative
splicing expands their functional capabilities and contributes
greatly to the expansion of the proteome required to support
complex brain and cardiovascular functions. She studies cellspecific alternative splicing in neurons in normal and disease
states; current projects focus on chronic pain and bipolar disorder.
Dr. Liu is a molecular electrophysiologist who is interested in the
regulation of the function of potassium channels.
Pulmonary endothelium apoptosis plays a critical role in a
spectrum of devastating lung diseases, such as emphysema and
pulmonary artery hypertension. The focus of Dr. Lu’s work is to
understand the molecular mechanism(s) underlying TGF-beta1
regulation of pulmonary endothelium apoptosis and pathogenesis
of emphysema induced by cigarette smoke exposure. These
studies are intended to inform possible therapeutic strategies for
lung diseases.
In response to hormonal or synaptic stimulation, excitable cells
(including smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and neurons) undergo
a diversity of changes in their electrical properties. Dr. Marshall’s
laboratory is studying the trafficking and localization of glutamate
receptors and calcium channels to synapses, and their modulation
by protein kinases.
Ulrike Mende
Assoc Professor of Medicine
Rhode Island Hospital
umende@lifespan.org
Vincent Mor
Professor of Medical Science
BioMed Gerontology Health
Vincent_Mor@brown.edu
James Padbury
Professor of Pediatrics
Women & Infants Hospital
JPadbury@wihri.org
Paul Pirraglia
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
paul.pirraglia@va.gov
Jonathan Reichner
Assoc Professor of Surgery
(Research)
Rhode Island Hospital
Jonathan_Reichner@brown.edu
Dr. Mende is interested in the functional role of G proteins (GTPbinding proteins) and their regulators (Regulators of G protein
Signaling) in the heart. They are crucial for the transmission of
signals from the cell surface to the inside. Changes in their amount
or function often lead to compromised cardiac function and
disease, such as hypertrophy and failure. Our goal is to delineate
the underlying mechanisms and devise new therapeutic strategies.
A long-standing interest in the Mende laboratory has been on the
molecular mechanisms that link pertubations in G proteinmediated myocyte signaling to cardiac hypertrophy and failure. To
that end, we are using gain- and loss-of-function approaches in
vitro (primary cultures of cardiac myocytes) and in vivo (genetically
modified mouse models), molecular biological approaches to
examine gene expression and regulation, biochemical approaches
to measure enzyme function and second messenger levels and
physiological approaches to assess single myocyte and cardiac
growth and contraction. More recently, additional projects focus on
the interaction between myocytes and fibroblasts, the two major
cell types in the heart which exert mutual regulatory control via
direct cell-cell contact and paracrine factors. We have been
developing experimental models to investigate myocyte-fibroblast
cross-regulation under normal and pathophysiological conditions.
Dr. Mor's research focuses on the organizational and health care
delivery system factors associated with variation in use of health
services with particular emphasis on the outcomes experienced by
frail and chronically ill persons. Areas of study include: the quality
of nursing home care, Medicare funding for post-acute care, the
determinants of hospitalization, disease management for cancer
patients and age and racial discrimination in health care
treatments.
Dr. Padbury’s laboratory is interested in the developmental
regulation of genes involved in the growth and function of the
developing heart and placenta. There are numerous examples of
unique expression of genes and/or differential mechanisms for
regulation of gene expression and the control of cellular growth
that are unique to the late gestation and peripartum developmental
period. This is the focus of Dr. Padbury’s work.
Dr. Pirraglia is an primary care physician at the Providence VA
Medical Center. His research is on the overlap of medical and
mental health conditions, focusing on medical care delivery to
those with mental illness. His current work includes assessing the
benefit of co-located primary care and mental health, the quality of
diabetes care in those with mental illness, assessing the impact of
depression and anxiety on those with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, and examining trends in depression,
depression symptoms, treatment, and value of depression care.
ß-glucan is a (1,3)(1,6)-beta-linked polymer of glucose normally
found as a structural component of the fungal cell wall. Since
beta-glucan is not expressed in mammalian cells, it is an example
of a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) that permits
leukocytes to recognize microbes as foreign. Although PAMPs
are now understood to be significant to non-self recognition,
mechanisms that regulate the subsequent host response to these
molecules are not well understood. Dr. Reichner has shown that,
when purified and injected in soluble form, ß-glucan can prime the
innate immune system without cytokine production. The
mechanisms accounting for this are a focus of his work.
Thomas Roberts
Assoc Professor of Ecology &
Evolutionary Biology
BioMed Ecology & Evolutionary
Biology at Brown University
Thomas_Roberts@brown.edu
Sharon Rounds
Chief of Medicine
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Sharon_Rounds@brown.edu
Juan Sanchez-Estaban
Assoc Professor of Pediatrics
Women & Infants Hospital
Juan_Sanchez-Esteban@brown.edu
John Sedivy
Professor of Medical Science
BioMed Molecular, Cellular Biology
Biochemistry
John_Sedivy@brown.edu
Frank Sellke, MD
Professor of Surgery
Rhode Island Hospital
fsellke@Lifespan.org
Among vertebrates, the mechanical behavior of muscles, tendons,
and bones is quite conserved at the tissue and cellular levels. The
diversity of locomotor performance results in large part from the
arrangement and interaction of these components. Dr. Roberts’
research uses the tools of biomechanics and functional
morphology to study how the mechanical properties of muscles
and tendons determine how animals move. Current projects in the
lab address the mechanical behavior of muscles during jumping
and landing, as well as fundamental processes of force generation
in muscle.
Dr. Rounds is interested in mechanisms of lung vascular injury in
conditions causing pulmonary hypertension and acute lung injury.
Her work focuses on the way in which endothelial cells of the lung
circulation are injured. She is also interested in chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease and factors that impair compliance
with therapy.
Premature infants suffer a high rate of long-term pulmonary
complications. In the womb, the fetal lung is exposed to
mechanical forces that are critical for normal lung development.
Dr. Estaban’s laboratory is trying to understand how the fetal lungs
respond to these physical forces. He has identified several
"receptors", proteins and genes that are activated by stretch. The
information derived from his studies may help to develop
strategies to accelerate lung development in babies born
prematurely.
Professor Sedivy is widely recognized for his efforts in mammalian
cell genetics, having developed and pioneered methods for gene
targeting of somatic cells. In 1995 his laboratory isolated the first
viable gene knockout of the Myc oncogene, and in 1997 the first
homozygous gene knockout in a normal human cell. Part of his
research program continues to investigate cell cycle regulation in
cancer. Since 1998, his research has also focused on the biology
of human aging at the cellular level. This project currently
investigates how telomere shortening as well as telomereindependent stresses cause cellular senescence.
Dr. Sellke’s laboratory is involved primarily in the examination of
the microcirculation of the heart, lung, brain and other organs.
Specifically, they investigate the effects of extracorporeal
circulation, cardioplegia, and ischemia and reperfusion on altered
vasomotor regulation, permeability, and signaling and gene
expressions .In vitro examinations of isolated, pressurized
microvessels and other tissues are performed extensively. These
in vitro techniques allow the determination of mechanisms of
altered vasomotor characteristics of the coronary and peripheral
microcirculation. Currently we are examining microvascular
alterations after cardioplegia and cardiopulmonary bypass with
respect to intracellular calcium handling, tyrosine kinase receptor
phosphorylation, protein kinase C isoform translocation and
activity, phosphorylation of myosin light chain, and changes in
expression of isoforms of nitric oxide synthase and other proteins
contributing to vasomotor tone and permeability. Recently, the lab
has initiated examination of altered gene expression after cardiac
surgery in patients and correlated these findings with clinical
outcomes like atrial fibrillation and neurocognitve deficits. Another
primary area of investigation is therapeutic angiogenesis using the
angiogenic growth factor proteins fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF
2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to increase
blood flow to ischemic myocardium. Both acute and chronic
models of myocardial ischemia are used and intravascular and
perivascular growth factors are applied. In an attempt to increase
the angiogenic potential of protein growth factors, the lab has
examined the effects of hypercholesterolemia and diabetes on
angiogenesis and the beneficial/detrimental effects of anti
oxidants, statins, Cox-2 inhibitors, and glycemic control on the
diminished response.
Surendra Sharma
Professor of Pediatrics (Research)
Women & Infants Hospital
ssharma@wihri.org
Anubhav Tripathi
Assoc Professor of Engineering
Engineering Department of Brown
University
Anubhav_Tripathi@brown.edu
Jack Wands
Professor of Medicine
Rhode Island Hospital
Jack_Wangs_MD@brown.edu
Wen-Chih Wu
Asst Professor of Medicine
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
wen-chih.wu@va.gov
Dr. Sharma’s laboratory has a multifaceted research program
focused on answering the question of why some women are
predisposed to pregnancy complications. These problems may
originate from abnormal immune and hormonal responses during
pregnancy. The laboratory’s primary working hypothesis is that an
anti-inflammatory intrauterine milieu controlled by cytokines and
pregnancy hormones is crucial to fetal development and
pregnancy success.
Dr. Tripathi’s research focuses on understanding biochemical and
biomolecular processes in microchip environments. Projects
include developing continuous flow DNA and RNA amplification
processes, rapid identification of Influenza subtypes, fast screens
for protein folding and unfolding buffers, separation of protein
isoforms, developing micro-bubble shells for detecting pathological
conditions, and developing nanoparticle induced pathogen lysis.
Dr. Wands directs the Liver Research Center, a 13,000-sq. ft.
facility that emphasizes studies relating to the molecular biology of
liver diseases. His primary areas of research focus include liver
carcinogenesis and the pathophysiology of hepatitis-induced liver
injury.
Dr. Wu is interested in the relationship between anemia, blood
transfusion and death or cardiovascular adverse events in elderly
patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. He has undertaken a
study that will use over 300,000 patients archived in the VA
National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 1997-2004