PRINCIPAL INESTIGATORS Biographical Sketches, Laboratory Efforts, and Contact information

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Hal E. Broxmeyer, Ph.D.
Dr. Broxmeyer was the first member of the WOC and has been it’s director since it’s inception in 1984. His laboratory focuses on mechanisms regulating the growth, survival and homing/mobilization of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells at cellular, intracellular, and animal levels. It also focuses on immune activity and differentiation of T-lymphocytes, monocytes, and dendritic cells.

Ghalib Alkhatib, Ph.D.
Studies in this laboratory are focused on the molecular determinants involved in retrovirus infection. Our research is directed at understanding how interactions of HIV-1 (AIDS virus) and HTLV-1 (human T cell leukemia virus) envelope glycoproteins with host cell receptors lead to membrane fusion and viral entry. Analyzing the mechanisms of retroviral entry is a key step in the development of anti-viral agents.

Janice S. Blum, Ph.D.
Dr. Blum has been a contributing member of the WOC since in April of 1995. Her research efforts focus on the regulation of human immune responses and the role of the immune system in detecting and destroying tumors and pathogens, as well as suspectibility to autoimmune disease.

H. Scott Boswell, M.D.
Dr. Boswell's laboratory studies the basic and applied clinical aspects of leukemia. In the basic area there is a long-term interest in the mechanism of leukemic cell proliferation mediated through the c-myc gene, a gene which is regulated by transcription.

Randy R. Brutkiewicz, Ph.D.
Dr. Brutkiewicz joined the WOC in July of 1998. His research focuses on how lymphoma and leukemia cells can evade recognition by the host's immune system which may allow them to identify new targets for effective antitumor therapy.

Yan Chen, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Chen's laboratory is interested in the study of the signal transduction initiated by members of the TGF- superfamily that comprises a large group of growth and differentiation factors including TGF-ß, activins and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs).

Alexander L. Dent, Ph.D.
In 1998, Dr. Dent brought his interest and research efforts in B cell lymphoma and gene regulation in the immune system to the WOC.

Xin-Yuan Fu, Ph.D.
We are taking new challenges in investigating physiological and pathological roles of STAT proteins in inflammation, innate & adaptive immunity and body homeostasis.

Thomas A. Gardner, M.D.
Dr. Gardner's laboratory investigates novel therapeutics and delivery techniques for urologic cancers including prostate, kidney, bladder and testis.

Mark Goebl, Ph.D.
Dr. Goebl's laboratory is interested in the regulation of the eukaryotic cell cycle by ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation. Progress through the cell cycle is controlled by protein kinases known as cyclin dependent protein kinases or CDKs.

Maureen Harrington, Ph.D.
Dr. Harrington is one of the “longest lived” veterans of the WOC with a start date of 1988.   Dr. Harrington's laboratory is focused on the role of the inflammatory response plays in the initiation and progression of cancer. Aspects of her research include: signal specific regulation of NF-kB dependent gene expression; development of an animal model of ovarian cancer; evolution of ovarian cancer.

Johnny J. He, Ph.D.
Dr. Johnny He's laboratory research mainly focuses on the molecular biology of virus-host interactions. This includes molecular mechanisms of HIV-1 neuropathogenesis, regulation of HIV and HCV replication by host factors, and the role of HIV-1 Tat-interacting protein Tip110 in eukaryotic control of gene transcription and pre-mRNA processing.

Meei-Huey Jeng, Ph.D.
Dr. Jeng's laboratory is interested in the hormonal actions and roles of steroid receptor coregulators in normal and neoplastic breast tissue.

Chinghai Kao, PhD.
Dr. Kao’s efforts to develop a novel therapeutic modality for androgen-independent prostate cancers for a new partnership with thw WOC in June of 2000

Mark Kaplan, Ph.D.
 

Michael J. Klemsz, Ph.D.
My laboratory has two main areas of focus. In the first, we are studying how chromatin structure regulates the expression of the PU.1 gene. The second area of focus began as studies on the regulation of TAP gene expression in macrophages. The Tap-1 and Tap-2 genes encode proteins which form a heterodimer that functions as a peptide transporter.

Suk-Hee Lee, Ph.D.
Sr. Lee’s objective is to  understand the molecular mechanism of DNA damage and repair using gene, cell and animal models .

Daniela Matei, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Matei teamed with the WOC in June of 2004. Her laboratory studies mechanisms of tumor growth and metastasis in ovarian cancer. Their focus is on the role of transglutaminase 2 as a mediator of intraperitoneal metastasis. Another area of interest in their research investigates the PDGF-PDGFR pathway in ovarian cancer.

Harikrishna Nakshatri, Ph.D.
Dr. Nakshatri joined the WOC tema in 1998. His lab studies mechanisms of anti-estrogen and chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer; breast cancer stem cells and metastasis

Louis Pelus, Ph.D.
To identify mechanisms of action of stem cell mobilizers that will lead to safer and faster isolation of blood stem cells that can be used to cure leukemia and other cancers; to understand the role of the inhibitor of apoptosis family of proteins in normal and cancer biology.

Lawrence Quilliam, Ph.D.
Dr. Quilliam’s laboratory is interested in delineating signal transduction pathways induced by growth-stimulatory factors, and in determining the mechanisms by which these pathways are aberrantly activated during the course of malignant transformation.

Ann Roman, Ph.D.
Dr. Roman's laboratory studies the pathobiology of human papillomaviruses (HPV). Aspects of her research include: regulation of the HPV life cycle by cellular proteins; altered regulation of cell cycle control and differentiation by HPV; and HPV and angiogenesis.

C. Max Schmidt, M.D.
Dr. Schmidt’s lab works to identify and target signal transduction intermediates for chemotherapy and chemoprevention of hepatocellular carcinoma and pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Martin L. Smith, Ph.D.
We are studying mechanisms of DNA repair that distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. The cancer-preventive agent selenium is being used to differentially regulate DNA repair levels in cancer cells versus normal cells.

Christopher Touloukian, M.D.
 

Jian-Ting Zhang, Ph.D.
Joined the WOC in May of 1998. The research focus of this laboratory is on experimental and developmental therapeutics with a focus on drug resistance and computation-based drug design and in-silico high throughput screening for drug discovery and on cancer biology with a focus on roles of translation initiation factors in cell growth and differentiation.