MBRS/MARC Faculty Mentors and Research Descriptions
Description of Research Project
California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), Carson CA
Kenneth Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Chemistry
CSU Dominguez Hills
Hee-Kwang Choi, Ph.D.
Biology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Terrance McGlynn, Ph.D.
Biology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Dr. Rodriguez work is sampling materials on the nano-scale (with the least amount of
material, good signal-to-noise in order to obtain important structural information) as a
continuous venture that can lead to novel devices. A research program has been developed
that uses the unique optical transmission properties of metallic microarray meshes with
subwavelength holes to study and understand several interesting chemical problems. The
infrared extraordinary transmission of metallic microarrays (which involves transmitting more
light than that incident on the holes) is used to investigate self-assembled monolayers
(SAMs), bilayer lipid membranes, and the interaction of a molecular vibration with a surface
plasmon resonance. Another part of my research group is studying the thermochemical
quantities and geometric structure of carbon nanotubes by computational chemistry. Such
thermochemical quantities include enthalpy of formation and the Gibbs free energy of any
(n,m) single walled carbon nanotube calculated. The ring diameter within nanotubes has
also been studied observing a unique oscillation pattern within the axial length of the
nanotube.
Dr. Choi is interested in the intracellular signaling molecule STAT5, a member of a family of
Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription, and its role in mediating cellular
response to pituitary hormone stimulation. STAT5 plays a critical role in two areas – 1) in
mammary gland response to prolactin (PRL), and 2) in liver response to the temporal pattern
of growth hormone (GH). His current areas of research emphasis include 1) the STAT5dependent interplay between PRL and integrins in coordinating correct mammary gland
signaling events, and the role that membrane microdomains (namely, lipid rafts) play in
modulating such events and 2) the role that STAT5 plays in regulating the expression of liver
cytochrome P450 genes in response to GH.
In the McGlynn lab, we use laboratory and field techniques to study fundamental questions
about the ecology of animals, especially those that take into account behavioral and lifehistory responses to environmental variation of resources. In one project, we study how
litter-dwelling arthropods cycle carbon and nutrients to create a whole-forest carbon budget
to infer the role of tropical ecosystems on a global scale. We are conducting a set of
experiments on the model system of the gypsy ant (Aphaenogaster araneoides) to
understand the functioning and evolution of social groups of animals to predation. Students
may work on components of these projects, or join other ongoing studies in the evolution,
ecology or behavior of animals in tropical rainforests or more locally.
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John Carvalho, Ph.D.
Biology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Kenneth Ganezer, Ph.D.
Physics
CSU Dominguez Hills
John Price, Ph.D.
Physics
CSU Dominguez Hills
Reoviruses are nonenveloped, double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses of the family Reoviridae,
which includes the disease pathogens rotavirus and orbivirus, and numerous plant and
marine viruses that cause problems for agriculture and the fishing industries. Though human
beings are asymptomatic to reovirus infection, reovirus infection of laboratory rodents has
been associated with disease symptoms, including myocarditis, encephalitis, and hepatitis.
Consequently, reovirus is an excellent tool to study viral pathogenesis and has helped to
address how viruses interact with the small intestine, central nervous system, heart, liver,
and lungs of infected hosts. Dr. Carvalho’s laboratory is using numerous genetic,
biochemical and cell biological approaches to study reovirus-host cell interaction to gain a
better understanding of reovirus life cycle and pathogenesis. Specifically, his lab is
investigating the biochemical pathways, host cell factors, and viral protein functions, as well
as the roles of the nucleus and nucleolus involved in reovirus life cycle during productive
infection. It is expected that these studies will help the scientific community better
understand other Reoviridae family members as well, such as the human disease pathogen
rotavirus, which is responsible for 660,000 deaths and 2 million gastroenteritis cases per
year.
The Medical Physics and Imaging program focuses on techniques for diagnosing and
monitoring osteoporosis, metabolic bone diseases and bone quality. Three studies in bone
quality assessment are being investigated. These include ultrasound measurements on
human subjects, design studies for new acoustical radiological devices for measuring bone
density and correlation studies of ultrasonic and radiological techniques for bone quality
assessment. The hypothesis that high levels of correlation can be obtained between cortical
and trabecular bone measurements using ultrasound is tested by measuring the fractal
number of trabecular bone using ultrasonic scattering. A new scanning device to measure
bone mineral density at several sites is being designed using the coherent to Compton photo
scattering ratio (CCSR) technique. Also, the hypothesis that right-left differences in the
calcaneus between osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic subject groups can be observed in the
same subjects using both ultrasonic and radiological modalities will be tested.
The Hadronic Structure Laboratory is the focus of Dr. Price's work. There, the structure of the
proton is the main topic of interest. This research is pursued using data obtained at the
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, VA, and is analyzed in part
at CSUDH using the 44-node "hadlab" cluster, a linux-based computer cluster built almost
entirely out of recycled computer equipment. The specific research plan involves studies of
the properties of the Xi hyperon and its excited states, which can be thought of as "cousins"
of the proton.These particles have the advantage that, although they are more difficult to
produce in the laboratory, they are much easier to isolate from other particles, simplifying the
data analysis.
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Hernan L. Martinez, Ph.D.
Chemistry
CSU Dominguez Hills
Lihung Pu, Ph.D.
Chemistry
CSU Dominguez Hills
Tilly Wang, Ph.D.
Chemistry
CSU Dominguez Hills
Helen Chun, Ph.D.
Biology
CSU Dominguez Hills
The goal of this research program is to extend the theoretical understanding of the effect of
transport phenomena on the rates of reaction in different media and at different conditions.
Initial research efforts focus on problems where non-conventional effects are significant, and
use numerical simulations and exact analytical formulations. The research paths used to
pursue this goal range from the anomalous kinetics of diffusion-controlled reactions to the
diffusion of molecules in disordered media, such as in the cell cytoplasm and growth
processes. Recent developments in the theory of non-equilibrium statistical thermodynamics as well as advances in renormalization group techniques are used in concert with
the new technology available for numerical and symbolic computation to solve these
problems. These studies will make fundamental contributions to the understanding of
chemical reactions. Other research plans include 1) bimolecular diffusion-controlled
reactions, 2) molecular diffusion in the cell cytoplasm and 3) aggregation processes. These
three areas are important to the transport/trapping, cell.
The aim of the work proposed is the isolation of stable ketone analogues of heavier group 14
elements. To reach these goals, a series of new electron donating derivatives of terphenyl
ligands will be used to increase the electron density in heavier main group 14 elements to
stabilize their ketone analogue. The characterization of the proposed compounds will
provide new insights for the understanding of bonding in heavier main group elements. The
proposed ligands can be synthesized in five steps or fewer, and the methods involved are
very suitable to undergraduate students with limited research experience. Through ligand
synthesis, students will be exposed to a variety of reactions critical to organic chemistry such
as lithium and Grignard reactions. In addition, students will learn advanced synthesis
techniques such as how to handle air sensitive materials using Schlenk lines, and glove
boxes. Throughout the proposed research, students will apply analytical techniques learned
in classes, such as, UV-Vis, IR and NMR spectroscopy. They will also learn multinuclear
NMR and X-ray crystallography, which are not currently a part of their curriculum. Most
importantly, this project will give students the chance to go beyond following procedures
written in laboratory manuals, and solve problems that a chemist faces when doing original
research.
Dr. Wang is interested in elucidating the mechanisms of the cellular radiation and drug
resistance and development of targeted cancer therapeutics using proteomic and siRNA
technology, and studying the function of the protein by protein-protein interactions and
protein-small molecule interaction using biophysical chemistry techniques.
Dr. Chun investigates radiosensitivity in mammalian cells. Patients that exhibit sensitivity to
ionizing radiation often times have an abnormality in their DNA damage response and repair
systems. Using these patients as her model system, she studies the molecular biology of
how mammalian cells handle DNA breaks or initiate cell death.
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L. Mark Carrier, Ph.D.
Psychology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Maria Hurtado-Ortiz, Ph.D.
Psychology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Karen Wilson, Ph.D.
Psychology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Larry Rosen, Ph.D.
Psychology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Patient education is viewed as a worthwhile effort in an attempt to change people’s healthcompromising behaviors. However, information given to patients must be presented in such
a way as to promote understanding. Furthermore, it is not clear whether and how patients
translate their understanding of written and verbal health information into concrete healthenhancing behaviors. In our research program, the factors that influence comprehension of
patient education materials are being investigated. The research methods include
correlational approaches (surveys) and experimental approaches (manipulation of factors
hypothesized to influence comprehension). In the future, the factors that influence the
translation of health knowledge into health-enhancing behaviors will be investigated.
Opportunities for students include library research, data collection, and data entry and data
analysis.
Dr. Hurtado-Ortiz research interests are on the cultural and social influences of adolescents’
college-planning behaviors, mother’s childcare practices, and middle-aged adults’ and older
adults’ attitudes towards hospice care. RISE student research will focus on hospice care. A
great deal of research has been conducted on the structural barriers to the use of hospice
services by minority groups. However, very little has been done on the attitudes of these
groups, especially how these attitudes are related to acculturation. The goal of this project is
to learn more about the attitudes of Mexican-American daughters and sons who have
parents living in hospice services and to examine how these attitudes are related to
acculturation.
Over the past 15 years, Dr. Wilson’s research has focused on the effects of HIV on
neurocognitive functioning, drug and alcohol abuse in HIV, and the study of neurocognitive
and neuropsychiatric predictors of antiretroviral medication adherence. Currently, her
research examines ethnic disparities in HIV/AIDS, with a focus on HIV-associated resilience.
Other areas of research include: psychological and neurocognitive functioning in college
students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and psychosocial functioning in children
with developmental disorders.
Dr. Larry Rosen's major area of research is on the impact of entertainment technology on
young children, pre-teens and teenagers. More specifically, this research examines how use
of technologies such as video games, television, the Internet, e-mail, and instant messaging
can affect the behavior of these youngsters. Research focuses particularly on the impact of
the use of these technologies on behavior that is classified by the American Psychiatric
Association's ADSM-IV manual as "attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder."
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Silvia Santos, Ph.D.
Psychology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Carl Sneed, Ph.D.
Psychology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Keisha Paxton, Ph.D.
Psychology
CSU Dominguez Hills
One investigation explores the meaning of ethnic identity and its association with college
adjustment and interethnic relations among university students attending ethnically diverse
university campuses (CSUDH & UCLA). The data set includes 120 in-depth interviews that
asked students to talk about their ethnic background, how they participated in the activities
and traditions of that background, and how that background has affected their personalities,
values and aspirations. The results of this investigation highlight important ethnic and
campus differences in students’ ethnic identity adjustment and perceptions of interethnic
relations. The second project is to understand the socio-ecological, psychological and
political issues faced by middle-aged Latinos with parents in need of nursing care. This
study will provide a comprehensive understanding of the specific issues affecting this
geriatric population and their middle-aged children.
Dr. Sneed's research focuses on issues associated with reduction of sexual risk behavior
among early and late adolescents. He currently has two externally funded projects focus on
research that addresses the issue of parent-child communication about sex. The first project
in an innovative study that will examine the feasibility of using text messages to promote
parent-child communication about sex. The second project (funded by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention) focuses on cultural and family factors that influence parentchild communication about sex among African American and Latino families. In the
upcoming year, Dr. Sneed will be developing two projects. The first project will be a survey
study on the use and maintenance of condoms given out in "safe sex kits". The second
project will focus on the development of a social marketing campaign targeting college aged
students to reduce sexual risk behavior.
Research on Community-Based Psychological Wellness and Sexual Health, Keisha C.
Paxton, Ph.D., Graduate and Undergraduate Students
Research taking place in this lab examines the impact of individuals’ experiences and mental
health from a community perspective with the goal of developing interventions to promote
psychological wellness and mental health among people of color, women, and youth.
Specifically, research in this lab has included examining sexual risk behavior among African
American youth and young adults, developing interventions to promote the prevention of HIV
and other sexually transmitted infections, examination and prevention of depression and
intimate partner violence among women. Research methods include survey methodology,
community-based participatory research methods, and qualitative methods.
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Tara Victor, Ph.D.
Psychology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Matthew Mutchler, Ph.D.
Sociology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Katy M. Pinto, Ph.D.
Sociology
CSU Dominguez Hills
Dr. Victor’s primary research interests are in the field of neuropsychology and in the
detection of cognitive effort/malingering in particular. She is specifically interested in the
false positive rate associated with use of effort (or malingering) tests in “high risk
populations” such as individuals with mental retardation, dementia, or individuals for whom
English is their second language. Dr. Victor recently received a grant from the Borchard
Foundation on Law and Aging to fund an investigation into the use of effort tests during
competency evaluations with individuals who may be demented. She is also interested in
the role of acculturation and language in the relationship between ethnicity and
neuropsychological test performance, in how to best interpret multiple effort test failure, and
in the differentiation between somatization and malingering.
Dr. Mutchler’s research interests have focused on applying sociological theories and
methods to critical social problems such as HIV prevention, AIDS policies, HIV and sexual
stigma, sexually transmitted infections (STI), and alcohol and substance use and misuse.
His research program has included a broad array of multi-method, interdisciplinary and
community-based participatory projects. One primary ongoing research agenda items is
exploring sexual health communication between young men who have sex with men (YMSM)
and their friends. The goal is to help reduce HIV infections by understanding how young
adults transmit sexual scripts and norms via sexual health communication. Dr. Mutchler
actively maintains several additional research activities focused on informing social health
policies and practices. For instance, he is currently the P.I. on a R03 study funded by the
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This work aims to better understand how
substances and alcohol become associated with sex among African American and Latino
YMSM through exploratory research including the use of peer ethnographers, semistructured interviews, and survey data. The goal is to address some of the social, cultural,
contextual and structural issues that seem to be producing their sex-drug use, HIV risk
behaviors, and substance/alcohol use and misuse. Dr. Mutchler is also engaged in ongoing
collaborative research to examine treatment advocacy (TA) services at local AIDS service
organizations such as AIDS Project Los Angeles. Finally, it is worth noting that Dr. Mutchler
is working on a cutting edge pilot study exploring receptivity to the use of health information
technology/social networking for sexual health communication with YMSM. These ongoing
collaborative projects demonstrate a strong commitment to applied social research, public
sociology, and to community-based participatory research activities; these principles drive
my vision for applied scholarly research.
Dr. Katy Pinto is currently an Associate Professor at CSU, Dominguez Hills in the
Department of Sociology. Her research interests are in the Sociology of the Family, Latino/a
Sociology, Social Stratification, and Race/Ethnicity and Immigration. Her research focuses on
Latino families with special attention to how culture and structure shape family life. In
particular, she focuses on how culture and structure affect Mexican origin men and women’s
contributions to household labor. Her most recent project is uses the U.S. Census to
examine educational attainment for children of Mexican farm laborers.
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Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LABioMed), Torrance, CA
Lazlo Boros, M.D.
LABioMed
Michael Yeaman, Ph.D.
LABioMed
Dr. Boros' research involves laboratory techniques to study in vitro and in vivo cell
physiology, endocrinology of tumor cell growth and proliferation, in vitro stable isotope
studies of tumor cell regulation of glucose, nucleic acid, fatty acid and amino acid synthesis
using specifically labeled glucose isotopes as precursors. The research methodology
includes gas/liquid chromatography and mass spectral analyses using quadrupole or ion trap
technologies. Dr. Boros is currently the Co-Director of the BioMedical Mass Spectrometry
Facility.
Dr. Yeaman’s research focus includes1) antimicrobial functions of molecular effectors
of innate immunity; 2) virulence factor regulation in S. aureus and C. albicans as model
systems; 3) discovery of structure- and context-specific activity correlates in antimicrobial
peptides; 4) interactions of antimicrobial agents and innate immunity; and 5) pattern
recognition and response circuits in infection and immunity. These efforts have led to
development of novel agents and strategies for potent antimicrobial activity against microbial
pathogens, including those that exhibit antibiotic resistance. These projects integrate overall
goals of prevention, therapy, and biodefense of infections in humans.
Eric Daar, M.D.
LABioMed
Dr Daar’s principal interest relates to the events surrounding the initial HIV infection event
and methods of intervention at this early stage. He is also investigating the safety and
effectiveness of novel anti-HIV drug regimens
Jennifer Yee, M.D.
LABioMed
The aims of my research are to compare the desaturation index in newborn infants exposed
to in utero overnutrition and undernutrition, versus normal controls. Prenatal and postnatal
nutrition has been shown to be important in programming of body composition and metabolic
characteristics in humans and animals. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase enzyme-1 (SCD1) is an
enzyme that converts saturated fatty acids (18:0 and 16:0) to monounsaturated fatty acids
(18:1 and 16:1, respectively) and has been implicated in development of obesity, diabetes,
and metabolic syndrome. Nutritional programming effects on SCD1 activity have not yet
been explored. In this study, we plan to study SCD1 activity in infants exposed to in utero
overnutrition, infants exposed to in utero undernutrition, and compare them to infants
exposed to in utero nutritional balance. We wish to extablish the role of SCD1 activity in
nutritional programming so that it can be studied as a target for prevention of obesity in early
life. Our hypothesis is that in utero states of maternal overnutrition or undernutrition will lead
to an increase in the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fatty acids in the blood, called the
desaturation index and that the increase in desaturation index will be predictive for
development of adiposity in young children. An increase in the desaturation index would
represent upregulation of the enzyme SCD1
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John Edwards, M.D.
LABioMed
Dr Edwards heads the LA BioMed infectious disease division where he conduct research on
understanding the infective process of Candida albicans, and exploring methods of
interrupting this process
Scott Filler, M.D.
LABioMed
Dr. Filler’s research is focused on invasive fungal infections. Ongoing projects include
studying the mechanisms by which Candida albicans invades vascular endothelial cells,
identifying C. albicans genes that are required for the organism to cause an oropharyngeal
infection, investigating the interactions of Aspergillus fumigatus with endothelial cells,
examining the host immune response to C. albicans and A. fumigatus in mouse models of
infection, and determining the mechanisms of antifungal resistance in Candida krusei.
Dr. Samuel French conduct research into the mechanisms involved in the development of
alcoholic liver disease, using a wide array of animal, cell culture and molecular biology
techniques, combined with histological analyses.
Samuel French, M.D.
LABioMed
Basil Ibe, Ph. D.
LABioMed
Dr. Ibe's research interests include the role of endogenous lipids, eicosanoids and platelet
activating factor in the regulation of pulmonary hemodynamics during the perinatal period
and their influence on pulmonary vascular tone. He also studies the role of these factors in
the pathogenesis of vaso-occlusion in sickle cell disease, with emphasis on the acute chest
syndrome.
Ashraf Ibrahim, Ph.D.
LABioMed
This research focuses on the pathogenesis of fungal infections and the interaction of fungal
pathogens with host cells, the mode of action of antifungal agents, and the use of
immunotherapeutic modalities to treat fungal infections. This work has the potential to
identify microbial targets that can be used to develop antifungal strategies to significantly
improve the prevention and/or treatment of hematogenously disseminated fungal infections.
Dr. Miller’s interests lie in epidemiological analyses of the development of treatment resistant
infections in the general population, as such infections spread from a hospital environment
into the wider community, including particularly lower income patients
Dr. Lee’s research is focused on the use of stable isotope tracers in the study of metabolism
and clinically important metabolic disorders such as cancer and diabetes. My laboraotory is
equiiped with gas-chromatograph-mass spectrometers which are used to determine
distribution of stable isotope among the various metabolites.
Dr. Daar’s principal interest relates to the events surrounding the initial HIV infection event
and methods of intervention at this early stage. He is also investigating the safety and
effectiveness of novel anti-HIV drug regimens.
Loren Miller, M.D.
LABioMed
W. Paul Lee, MD
LABiomed
Eric Daar, M.D.
LABioMed
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Eli Ipp, M.D.
LABioMed
Sharon Adler, M.D.
LABioMed
Joel Kopple, M.D.
LABioMed
Lynn McFarr, Ph.D.
LABioMed
Matthew Wright, Ph.D.
LABioMed
This project aims to understand an unusual group of patients with type 2 diabetes, who
develop ketoacidosis. We believe these patients represent a distinct subset of type 2
diabetes, which are insulin-deficient. Our approach is to tease out this apparently
homogenous subgroup for in-depth study in order to understand the possible genetic and
pathophysiological mechanisms involved. The student plays a very important role in
assisting us to recruit patients in to the study. The student learns how to obtain clinical and
biochemical data on each subject and presents information at our weekly laboratory meeting.
In addition, the student has his/her own subproject that will involve analysis of some aspect
of the epidemiology or physiology of these patients.
Dr. Adler is Chief of Nephrology, and is both a clinical and basic researcher in kidney
diseases. Her major focus is on glomerular changes as a cause of kidney failure and
treatment of this disorder. Dr Adler has NIH funding to study diabetic nephropathy and its
genetic components. She runs a fully functional molecular biology lab, with cell culture,
DNA analysis and standard molecular biology tools.
Dr. Kopple is the chief, division of Nephrology and Hypertension. His research interests
include renal nutrition and metabolism. He is currently NIH funded to study the potential
benefit of exercise training in improving the health and metabolic status of patients
undergoing long term hemodialysis. His research interests also include the study of African
Americans with kidney disease, nitrogen analysis as a tool for assessing nitrogen balance in
health and disease, and the effect of growth factors and cytokines on the pathogenesis of
renal disease.
Dr. McFarr studies the usefulness of dialectical behavior therapy in treating young adults with
borderline personality disorder and in assessing gender bias in BPD symptoms.
Dr. Wright is a clinical and cognitive neuropsychologist with interests in the cognitive
sequelae of traumatic brain injury, models of memory, HIV-associated cognitive impairment,
and neurocognitive predictors of functional outcome. He is an Assistant Professor of
Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles and
directs neuropsychology services and training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, serves as a
faculty member for Harbor-UCLA’s sports medicine fellowship, and directs the
Neurocognitive Equipotentiality, Recovery & Development (NERD) Research Program at the
Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute. The primary focus of his research is to
understand and optimize cognitive recovery following traumatic brain injury. His research
utilizes standard clinical and experimental tests of cognitive ability, transcranial direct current
stimulation (tDCS), and neuroimaging.
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Henry Lin, M.D.
LABioMed
Luo Lu, M.D., Ph.D.
LABioMed
Yan He Lue, M.D.
LABioMed
Catherine Mao, M.D.
LABioMed
Mina Desai, Ph.D.
LABioMed
This laboratory is working to identify common genetic variants that act with environmental
exposures to influence our risk for cancer. They have analyzed a genetic variant (Val511Ala)
found in 10% of African Americans in the Cox-2/PTGS2 enzyme. Results suggest that
people with the variant may have lower risks for colon cancer. They are now analyzing mice
that lack prostaglandin D synthase to investigate possible mechanisms for Cox-2/PTGS2
effects. They have evidence for a novel interaction between isothiocyanate compounds (in
vegetables like broccoli) and glutathione transferase genes. People who have high intake of
isothiocyanate compounds and lack certain glutathione transferase genes (GSTM1, GSTT1)
may have lower risks for colon cancer. Epidemiologic approaches are being used to
accumulate further data on this proposed “nutrigenetic” interaction.
Role of CTCF in EGF-induced corneal epithelial growth
Dr Lu’s research focuses on bringing molecular biology tools to bear on understanding the
mechanisms of hormone-induced changes in epithelial cells. His research currently involves
the use of stem cells to advance his studies.
The major focus of Dr. Lue’s research has been the regulation of sperm production by
hormones, temperature and genes. The ultimate goals of his research are to find pivotal
molecules responsible for sperm production that may be potential targets for male
contraceptive development and infertility intervention. Recent studies include the functional
roles of progesterone receptors in the testes and that progestins mediated through
progesterone receptors may have direct inhibitory actions on sperm production. In addition,
he has characterized XXY mouse model for investigating the most common sex
chromosome aneuploidy in men- Klinefelter syndrome.
Dr. Mao is involved in multiple research projects including investigations regarding glutamine
therapy in pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis, early hypopituitarism after traumatic brain injury in
children, response to high fat diet in youngsters at-risk for DM2, arginine stimulation as a
measure of insulin reserve and the familial incidence of undiagnosed hyperglycemia in type 1
and type 2 diabetes, a study of phthalates in pregnant women and children, pharmacokinetic
evaluation of testosterone-gel (1%) in prepubertal boys of adolescent age, and a multi-center
observational study of testosterone-tel (1%) in adolescent boys with hypogonadism.
Dr Desai’s research focuses on fetal imprinting of subsequent adult physiological changes,
such as caloric restriction in the womb resulting in subsequent adult obesity and
hypertension in the offspring of calorie restricted mothers. This has implications for the
current epidemic of obesity in humans.
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Rodney White, M.D.
LABioMed
Virender Rehan, M.D.
LABioMed
Astrid Reina-Patton, Ph.D.
LABioMed
Michael Ross, M.D.
LABioMed
Rodney White is Chief of Vascular Surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and a Professor
of Surgery at the School of Medicine at UCLA. He heads an Institute team of physicianscientists who are seeking better ways to prevent and treat aneurysms and to reduce
surgical risks to patients. Dr. White and his team have pioneered the use of endovascular
stent grafts as an alternative to traditional surgery for aortic aneurysms. Many times this work
has taken novel devices from bench type testing to animal implantations and evaluation.
Often times these evaluations lead to FDA approval for initial clinical trials.
Despite significant advances in neonatal intensive care, chronic lung disease (CLD) occurs in
a significant proportion of extremely premature infants. Both normal lung development and
injury/repair utilize common cellular signaling pathways to maintain homeostasis. Because
there is increasing evidence that fibroblasts play an important role in the injury/repair
mechanisms of the lung, this group is focused on their role in the pathogenesis of CLD.
Transdifferentiation of these fibroblasts to myofibroblasts occurs with increased oxygen
exposure so they are using transdifferentiation of cells grown from the rat lung to define the
molecular mechanisms of hyperoxia-induced CLD. Using different molecular strategies, they
are determining the intracellular effector molecules involved in oxygen-induced myofibroblast
transdifferentiation, and studying myofibroblast transdifferentiation to determine if it can be
prevented or reversed by stimulating the lipogenic pathways.
Research interests include the impact of sexism on the development of psychiatric symptoms
(i.e., anxiety, depression, and somatization disorders) in both monolingual Spanish and
English-speaking men and women, the development, implementation, and assessment of a
psychosocial intervention on the quality of life and psychoneuroimmunologic markers of
ethnically diverse cervical cancer survivors, translation and multicultural methodologies
involving Spanish-speaking populations, HIV/AIDS prevention and disclosure issues in
Spanish and English-speaking men and women, needs assessments of underserved,
monolingual groups, and qualitative studies in HIV/AIDS, oncology, and general women’s
issues.
The Maternal-Fetal Physiology Group is seeking to understand the way in which the mother
and fetus interact as the fetus develops. This interaction involves control of the fetal
environment (amniotic fluid) and mechanisms for altering the fetal environment that include
hormonal and neural control. The group uses animal models to determine what happens to
fetal swallowing (which controls fluid volume), heart rate/blood pressure and the survival of
the fetus when blood flow (and hence oxygen) is limited. The experimental models mimic
what can happen to the human fetus during pregnancy. Understanding the response of the
animal models will allow predictions of the human response and permit development of
interventions to rectify fetal environmental changes.
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Mallory Witt, M.D.
LABioMed
Arnold Bayer, M.D.
LABioMed
Lynne Smith, M.D.
LABioMed
Yan Qiong Xiong, M.D., Ph.D.
LABioMed
Ronald S. Swerdloff, M.D.
LABioMed
AIDS clinical trials to evaluate efficacy of therapeutic interventions
Dr Witt is an internist who conducts large scale clinical trials of promising drug treatments for
HIV infection, as well as for the treatment of associated opportunistic infections of HIV+
individuals
This laboratory is studying the mechanisms by which naturally-occurring antimicrobial
peptides within mammalian platelets interact and kill virulent bacterial pathogens, especially
Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the relative in vivo virulence of strains engineered to be
either platelet peptide-susceptible or –resistant is being assessed in an animal model of
heart valve infections. The second program focuses on in vivo gene expression by
Staphylococcus aureus using organisms that carry one of two gene reporter systems
including the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene or the firefly bioluminescence (Lux) gene.
These two reporters are linked downstream to a variety of promoters of putative virulence
genes. The reporter signal is acquired and quantified by flow cytometry or bioluminescence.
Dr. Smith conducts clinical investigations to understand the effects of methamphetamine on
the developing brain. She wishes to determine the developmental consequences of prenatal
methamphetamine exposure from birth to age 3, to describe the environmental
characteristics of methamphetamine exposed children and to determine how the drug and
the environment affect the outcome of these children. She utilizes magnetic resonance
imaging and spectroscopy to investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to drugs on the
developing human brain correlating neuroimaging information with neuropsychological
testing in exposed children.
The central hypothesis of my project contends that specific virulence signatures distinguish
persistent methicillin-resistant S. aureus bacteremia (MRSA) vs. resolving MRSA bacteremia
strains in the endovascular infection milieu. We propose these distinct signatures can be
identified and used to prospectively distinguish PB from RB strains in a manner than may
enhance anti-infective strategies and efficacies for MRSA infection.
Dr. Ronald Swerdloff is a basic and clinical investigator focusing his research in multiple
areas of men's health. Dr. Swerdloff is one of the leaders in understanding the regulation of
the testes. His work on fundamental regulation of testicular hormone secretion and sperm
maturation has provided the background for his studies on male contraceptive development,
androgen deficiency, infertility, genetic disorders of reproduction and the effects of aging on
reproductive and erectile function. He uses molecular techniques and multiple mutant animal
models to unravel mysteries of germ cell apoptosis and underproduction of male hormones.
He is an acknowledged international leader in his area of expertise.
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John S. Torday, Ph.D.
LABioMed
Frans Walther, M.D./Ph.D.
LABioMed
Christina Wang, M.D.
LABioMed
Michele Berk, Ph.D.
LABioMed
Dr Torday has been investigating the factors affecting lung fibroblasts in the developing
animal for over twenty years. In particular, he is interested in the biochemical response
elicited by stretching and how such a response might differ in various preterm lung
pathologies, with a view to developing interventions to address such medical problems in
premature infants.
Lung surfactant is a surface-active material that lines the alveolar surface of the lung and is
composed of ~90 % lipids and 5-10 % surfactant proteins (SP-A, B, C, and D). Our studies
also include the design, synthesis, structural characterization, and in vitro and in vivo surface
activity testing of synthetic lung surfactant formulations composed of phospholipids and SP-B
and SP-C mimic peptides for use in the treatment of lung surfactant deficiency and inhibition.
These studies will facilitate the identification and development of novel, peptide containing
lung surfactant formulations that should be useful for treating surfactant deficiency and
surfactant inhibition in neonatal RDS and ARDS.
The Male Reproductive Biology Group is involved in a range of studies from basic research
into the mechanisms of germ cell death (apoptosis) to development of male contraceptives
and the understanding and treatment of genetic disorders of reproduction. The program
combines laboratory research with clinical studies to develop understanding of all aspects of
male reproduction. Areas of focus include changes in cell function with age, programmed
cell death of germ cells, analysis of samples from volunteers receiving various experimental
contraceptives to evaluate their effectiveness and investigation of genetic abnormalities of
the reproductive system using brain scanning, psychological testing and genetic analysis.
The group is also studying the effect of steroids, such as testosterone, on the brain.
Dr. Michele Berk is a clinical psychologist and the Director of the Adolescent CognitiveBehavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy Clinics at Harbor-UCLA Medical
Center. Her research focuses on psychotherapy approaches for suicidal adolescents.
13
Kevin Bruhn, Ph.D.
LABioMed
The goal is to construct recombinant L. monocytogenes vaccine strains expressing specific
fragments of Als3p-N and test as a vaccine to protect against Candida sepsis in a mouse
model. Goals of our current research include working with unique vaccination models,
including a live, bacterial Listeria monocytogenes vector to elicit cell-mediated immunity
against both tumors and infectious pathogens. We believe the potential for these vectors to
have clinical utility is very high, and have over 13 years experience using the Listeria
platform to induce immune responses in mouse models. Our work using the B16 melanoma
model involves monitoring tumors in mice serially over time, and we have used
bioluminescent imaging systems such as the Xenogen IVIS 100 for the past 7 years, in order
to quantitatively assess tumor burdens growing subcutaneously, as well as systemically in
the lungs. We are also currently studying the mechanisms of imiquimod, a Toll-like Receptor
(TLR) ligand, in potentiating both Listeria vaccines as well as dendritic cell (DC) vaccines,
both clinically relevant technologies. This subject matter is of broad importance to the tumor
immunology field, as numerous attempts to improve vaccination regimens are utilizing these
and other TLR agonist molecules as functional adjuvants. We hope to add specific
understandings to the way this FDA-approved, easy-to-administer topical adjuvant works in
its anti-tumor activity and immunomodulatory effects. We are also continuing specific work in
the field of parasite immunology and leishmaniasis. Leishmania is a protozoan parasite for
which there exists no current reliable vaccine. We are pursuing novel technologies to
attenuate live parasites and make them safer to use for potential vaccination. Our strategy
holds the potential to generate immunostimulatory populations of organisms that would be
unable to divide and cause illness in the host, but would still induce protective beneficial
immune responses. We are combining this novel methodology with TLR ligands such as
imiquimod, as well, in hopes of generating even more efficacious vaccines in various animal
models of leishmaniasis. We are utilizing the same bioluminescent technology to follow
Leishmania infections in live animals, by using parasite strains expressing the firefly
luciferase gene. The next generation of bioluminescent IVIS systems, which have the ability
to measure both bioluminescent and fluorescent signals in live animals, will greatly facilitate
these studies.
14
Noah Craft, M.D., Ph.D. DTM&H
LABioMed
Patricia Dickson, M.D./Agnes Chen, M.D.
LABioMed
Melanoma is one of the most common tumors affecting humans. Many immunotherapies for
melanoma target non-mutated tumor associated antigens. Overcoming peripheral tolerance
to these antigens is critical to immune recognition of melanoma and the success of these
therapies. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are cellular sensors that recognize conserved
pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) on invading pathogens. TLR activation
results in the appropriate innate and adaptive immune responses to defend against infection.
Combinatorial stimulation of TLRs in the context of tumor antigens is one way to overcome
self tolerance and induce anti-tumor immunity. Using a bioluminescent mouse melanoma
model we are investigating the relationship between TLR activation, dendritic cell activation,
and host immunity during melanoma vaccine immunotherapy.
Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been developed for mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS
I), a lysosomal storage disorder. ERT helps many physical ailments due to the disease, but
does not treat the central nervous system, due to inability to cross the blood brain barrier.
We are testing the effectiveness of ERT via intrathecal (IT) injection into the spinal fluid in the
canine model of MPS I.
There are two aims:
1. Characterize the effects of IT ERT on the brain and spinal cord. Until now, assessment
of effects has been through biochemical and pathological evidence of enzyme
penetration and reduction of lysosomal storage. However, judging treatment
effectiveness in humans will require less invasive means. This protocol combines IT
ERT with imaging studies to show a correlation among biochemical, pathological, and
radiologic improvement, so that eventual human improvement may be quantified.
2. Assess use of IT ERT for prevention of CNS abnormalities, from birth. IT ERT
penetrates the tissues of the central nervous system and can reduce GAG storage.
However, the possibility of irreversible damage occurring to the brain with prolonged
storage may mean that IT ERT will be more effective if begun early. The ability of early
initiation of IT ERT to prevent brain damage in MPS I has not been previously studied.
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Brad Spellberg, M.D.
LABioMed
Dr Spellbergt seeks to develop and define the mechanisms of protection of an immortal
phagocytic cell line for the treatment of refractory infections in neutropenic hosts. his
research has 4 Specific Aims:
1. Define the mechanisms of ATAK cell anti-fungal activity. It is hypothesized that the
mechanism of protection of ATAK cells is direct killing of fungi. This hypothesis will be
tested by determining the impact of abrogation of oxidative and/or non-oxidative killing
mechanisms on ATAK cell in vitro and in vivo anti-fungal activity. We will also determine if a
murine immune response to ATAK cells affects the cells’ efficacy.
2. Transfect ATAK cells with a lentiviral construct containing a suicide trap and a
reporter system for tracking cells. We will use a doubly replication-deficient lentivirus to
transfect HL-60 cells with the herpes simplex virus (HSV) thymidine kinase (ThK) gene
under a constitutive promoter as an inducible suicide trap. Cells will also be transfected with
Renilla luciferase (Rluc) to enable monitoring of cell fate in real time in vivo using an In vivo
Imaging System (IVIS). We will determine the transfection stability, confirm expression
even after activation into ATAK cells, and test the efficacy of acyclovir or ganciclovir at killing
transfected cells.
3. Define the in vivo circulation, toxicities, and life-span of ATAK cells in neutropenic
mice. ATAK cells transfected with ThK-Rluc will be monitored by the IVIS imager to define
their circulation, replication and life-span in mice. Efficacy of acyclovir or ganciclovir at
eradication of ATAK cells in vivo will be defined. As well, vital dye staining and RT-PCR will
be used as independent markers of ATAK cell distribution and viability in vivo. Broad
metabolomic screening will be used as a highly sensitive marker to define organ specific
toxicities and the metabolic pathways involved in those toxicities in both mice and rabbits.
Extensive blood testing and histopathological evaluation will be performed. Treated animals
will be followed for 12 months after infusion of ATAK cells for serial metabolic sampling, and
clinical and laboratory evaluations.
4. Define the breadth of protection of ATAK cells. To determine their breadth of efficacy,
ATAK cells will be tested in our well established and reproducible, neutropenic mouse
models of three highly lethal mold infections: inhalational aspergillosis, intranasal
mucormycosis, and systemic fusariosis.
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Dr. Jerome Rotter
LABioMed
Dr. Yii-Der Ida Chen
LABioMed
Dr. Kent Taylor
LABioMed
Dr. Jerome Rotter is the Director of the Institute for Translational Genomics and Population
Sciences at the Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center;
Director of the Division of Genomic Outcomes in the Department of Pediatrics at HarborUCLA Medical Center and a Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Human
Genetics at UCLA. He is well known for his activities in the genetics of common chronic
diseases, with major contributions to the genetic susceptibilities to cardiovascular/metabolic
disease (atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, diabetes, lipids, hypertension, obesity,
insulin
resistance,
arrhythmias,
non-alcoholic
fatty
liver
disease),
gastrointestinal/autoimmune disease (type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis),
ocular disorders (keratoconus, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal
vasculature), and pharmacogenetics. These studies have been particularly relevant to U.S.
minority populations, namely Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, Jews, and Armenians.
Such studies serve as the basis for personalized medicine, which are medical treatments
and therapies tailor-made for each patient based on gender and racial and ethnic
background. Dr. Rotter and his colleagues actively participate in over 40 multi-site studies
and national and international disease study consortia, serving on the steering committee in
approximately two-thirds.
Dr. Yii-Der Ida Chen is the Director of the Biochemistry, Molecular Phenotyping, and
Microarray Laboratory at the Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA
Medical Center Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, and a
Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at UCLA. She is known for extensive work in insulin
resistance and its consequences, and for serving as the core laboratory director for a number
of national and international projects, including the NHLBI SAPPHIRe (Stanford-Asia Pacific
Program in Hypertension and Insulin Resistance), the NHLBI FBPP (Family Blood Pressure
Program), the IRAS (Insulin Resistance and Atherosclerosis) Family Study, and the TAICHI
consortium (TAIwan metaboCHIp study for cardiovascular disease). Dr. Chen is well known
for her contributions to delineating the insulin resistance syndrome, its features and
associations (diabetes, hypertension, lipids, coronary disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome,
arrhythmias, renal, and eye disease, and the metabolic syndrome), which are of particular
relevance to the Hispanic, African American, and Asian populations.
Dr. Kent Taylor directs the Molecular Genotyping Laboratory of the Institute for Translational
Genomics and Population Sciences at the Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute at
Harbor-UCLA and is a Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA. He specializes in the molecular
genetics of metabolic, cardiovascular, childhood adiposity, ocular disorders and has one of
the nation’s largest bodies of experience in high throughput genotyping, having been
responsible for genotyping some 19,000 subjects for 300,000 to 1.2 million genetic markers
in genome-wide association study, and 63,000 subjects for high throughput specialty “chips”
(metabochip, immunochip, exome chip; 200,000-250,000 markers). He is currently aiding in
the design of the next generation chip for 2.5 million plus genetic markers, specifically
designed for the Hispanic populations of the United States.
17
Dr. Xiuqing Guo
LABioMed
Dr. Xiaohui Li
LABioMed
Rebecca Stockton, PhD
LABioMed
Dr. Xiuqing Guo is Director of Mathematical and Statistical Genetics at the Institute for
Translational Genomics and Population Sciences at the Los Angeles BioMedical Institute at
Harbor-UCLA, and a Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA. She has served as the director of the
Core analytic resource for all studies of the Genomics Institute in cardiovascular and
metabolic disease, including serving as the lead analyst for the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of
Atherosclerosis) Family Study, the MACAD (Mexican-American Coronary Artery disease)
Study, and HTN-IR (Mexican-American Hypertension and Insulin Resistance) Study, the
GOLDR (Genetics of Diabetic Retinopathy in Latinos) Study. At a national level, she serves
as the lead analyst for the MESA SHARe (GWAS) diabetes, hypertension, cardiac structure,
adiposity and inflammation working groups.
Dr. Xiaohui Li is a research scientist at the Los Angeles BioMedical Institute for Translational
Genomics and Population Sciences and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA. Her
major interests are in the genetics of ocular disorders (keratoconus, macular degeneration,
retinal vaculature), and pharmacogenetics.
She is lead analyst in the PARC
(Pharmacogenetics of Cardiovascular Risk Factors) project, as well as in the genetics of
keratoconus (thinning of the cornea) project.
The Stockton Lab explores the endothelial signaling regulating the processes of
vasculogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels de novo during embryogenesis) and
angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels from existing vessels). Endothelial cells are
specialized cells lining blood vessels, which in mature vessels maintain the integrity of barrier
function: form tight connections between cells to prevent the fluid component of blood from
leaking into underlying tissues. Our work is currently focused on the role of endothelial
signaling in cerebrovascular diseases, particularly Cerebral Cavernous Malformations (CCM)
a serious brain blood vessel disease affecting about 35 million people worldwide, which has
no drug therapy or treatment options for patients other than surgical removal of lesions. CCM
brain lesions are dilated mulberry-like clusters of capillaries that are leaky, fragile and prone
to rupture, causing hemorrhagic stroke. An inheritable version of the disease is associated
with mutations in three known genes: CCM1 (KRIT1), CCM2 (MGC467) and CCM3
(PDCD10). These inherited mutations can produce new lesions all through the patient’s life.
Sporadic single-episode lesions also occur with no known family history of CCM. Few of
these sporadic lesions ever get genotyped, and of those that are genotyped very few turn out
to have mutations in CCM1-2-3 genes. We are searching for “CCM4”; a hypothetical gene
which when mutated may be responsible for many sporadic lesions. Our approach is using
next-generation gene sequencing of DNA derived from endothelial cells in human CCM
lesions. We use a variety of in vitro and mouse model studies in the lab. We use tissue
culture (growing cells in sterile plates with artificial growth medium) to grow human brain
microvascular endothelial cells and perform experiments to understand gene expression and
protein interaction in these cells using molecular biology, cell biology and biochemical
techniques. Those include qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) to evaluate gene
expression, transfection of cultured cells to express cDNA or conversely gene knockout
using siRNA. Protein expression is assayed by Western blotting, which is electrophoresis of
cell samples to separate proteins, then transfer of proteins to a blot matrix followed by
probing for the protein of interest using antibodies. We have a mouse model of the CCM
disease which we use for evaluating vascular leak and brain lesion formation studies in living
18
mice
Charles Drew University (CDU) of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA
Shahrzad Bazargan-Hejazi, Ph.D
CDU
Suzanne Porszasz-Reisz, Ph.D.
CDU
Xuan Liu, Ph.D.
CDU
Shalender Bhasin, M.D.
CDU
Ted Friedman, M.D., Ph.D.
CDU
Rajan Singh, Ph.D.
CDU
Dr. Bazargan-Hejazi’s research focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating
interventions to improve health care access and utilization, as well as health outcome for
underserved minorities, particularly those affected by HIV, and/or alcohol and drug problems.
This group is developing transgenic mouse models that should become important animal
models in the investigation of various diseases associated with muscle wasting. They are
also working on other transgenic animal models that will be suitable for studying muscle
growth and development as well as age-related sarcopenia. Another area of research is in
the regulation of genes involved in muscle differentiation and development. They study the
mechanism of action and interaction of growth factors, differentiation factors and the effects
of anabolic intervention on muscle cell in vitro models.
This laboratory currently focuses on two areas of research. One relates to the mechanism of
carcinogenesis which includes a study on the dysregulation of cell division, the cell cycle and
key genes that are differentially expressed in normal and cancer cells, using microarray
analysis. Another study involves HIV infection and transmission in the presence of various
risk factors and co-factors. In both research areas, they examine signal transduction
pathways and transcriptional gene regulation.
Dr. Bhasin studies the biological effects of androgens in men and women. His laboratory
includes studies on sarcopenia, HIV and renal failure as a cause of muscle wasting. His
group is also investigating the effects of androgen replacement in men and women and is
performing cellular and molecular studies on the mechanisms of androgen action.
Dr. Friedman performs clinical research in a variety of areas including adrenal and pituitary
disorders, and testosterone treatments for women with hypopituitarism. He also examines
the effects of adrenal hormones on patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and the use of
Viagra for patients with this condition. Dr. Friedman is also a basic scientist and investigates
prohormone processing as related to drug addiction, diabetes and thyroid disease. He is
interested in nicotine and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and in genes and proteins
regulated by opiates.
This lab is currently investigating the role of different signaling pathways responsible for the
androgen mediated inhibition of adipogenesis and induction of myogenesis. They are
studying the interaction of different proteins involved in androgen receptor and Wnt signaling
pathway and their role during adipogenic as well as myogenic differentiation, which may
provide an explanation for the reciprocal effects of androgens on muscle and fat mass in
men.
19
Nestor Gonzalez-Cadavid, Ph.D./Drew (Dr. Cadavid
also has an appointment at LABioMed)
CDU
Mohsen Bazargan, Ph.D.
CDU
Sheba George, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
CDU
This group investigates the role of androgens and myostatin on the differentiation of stem
cells in the skeletal muscle during wound healing and aging. They have shown in a
pluripotent cell line that androgens stimulate myogenesis and inhibit adipogenesis, and
hypothesize that their anabolic effects in vivo may be mediated via a similar mechanism in
stem cells present in the adult skeletal muscle. They also hypothesize that myostatin, a
novel negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass belonging to the TGF family, may
counteract androgen effects, inhibiting myogenesis and stimulating adipogenesis. These
hypotheses have significant therapeutic implications for muscle regeneration and transplants,
and are being tested with cell and molecular biology approaches both in cell culture and in
laboratory rodents.
Dr. Bazargan’s research activities concentrate on health related issues among underserved
minority population in general, and African American elderly in particular. In a
comprehensive study of health care and medication use among minority elderly, he
conducted a large population based study that surveyed over 2,500 elderly African American
persons. This study examined mental and physical health status, pattern of health care
utilization (office-based physicians visits, ER utilization, hospital admissions, Rx and OTC
consumption, and alternative medicine), attitude toward health and illness, social support and
social networks.
Issues of health and health care are interwoven through several of Dr. George’s research
experiences, which have played a pivotal role in her commitment to the application of
sociological theories and methods to the complex study of health disparities. She has used a
variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, including ethnographic field research
methods, in-depth interviewing, focus group interviewing, content analysis of archival
materials and survey methods. She has demonstrated versatility in conducting interview
based research in four different languages in a variety of cultural contexts, both in the United
States and abroad. Her research using these methods has resulted in one co-authored book,
a second sole authored book, both published by the University of California Press and 21
peer reviewed articles. Her well-reviewed sole authored book, “When Women Come First:
Gender and Class in Transnational Migration,” has been translated into a Japanese for a
second edition.Her current interests broadly center on the of impact of social and cultural
variables - such as race/ethnicity, gender, class and immigration status - on health
disparities, particularly in the access and delivery of health care. Over the past few years, her
research has focused on the intersection of technology and health, specifically on the
sociotechnical challenges in the use of health information technologies such as electronic
health records and telemedicine among urban, underserved populations and health care
providers in community clinics. Technological advances that allow innovations such as
telemedicine are very exciting since they have the potential to be very effective responses to
the problem of limited healthcare resources. However, there can be incongruities between
the medical aims that drive such solutions and the on-the-ground experiences of those
administering and receiving care. Dr. George has researched such incongruities in her work
with Kaiser’s Division of Research on doctor-patient interaction in the context of the
introduction of computing devices in the exam room. She is currently collaborating with a
team of researchers on a project to both provide and evaluate telemedicine based eye
screening to check for diabetic retinopathy among underserved populations in several local
clinics. She is also completing a pilot project that evaluates the acceptability of cell phonebased texting as an intervention for sexual health communication among young men who
20
have sex with men (YMSM) in Los Angeles. Finally, she is leading a project to develop and
evaluate the acceptability of an animated video entitled “What is Health Research?” tailored
for multicultural underserved populations in both English and Spanish explaining health
research including clinical trials.
Shehla Pervin, Ph.D.
CDU
Dr. Shehla Pervin’ s main focus of research is to identify key cell types involved in promoting
initiation of human breast tumors and to understand the molecular mechanisms involved
during the process. Her research utilizes primary cells/tissue obtained from both triple
negative and estrogen receptor positive human breast tumors to generate patient-derived
xenografts in nude mice. She also utilizes established breast cancer cell lines to generate
transplantable xenografts that enriches for sub-set of mammary cancer stem cells that are
important for breast tumor initiation and progression. Her research group seeks to
understand the role of key signaling pathways in mammary cancer stem cells and other
stromal cells that contribute to tumor development. The other interest of her laboratory is to
understand mechanisms and cell types that are sensitive to estrogen and promote estrogeninduced human breast tumors. Her lab also extensively utilizes in vitro and in vivo methods to
examine the mechanisms by which aggressive triple negative breast tumors develop in
young African American women. These studies are geared to identify novel targets that could
be targeted for early detection and treatment of breast tumors
21