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• Hongyun Wang (AMS) The ATP Synthase Modeling Project
• Mark Akeson (BME/Chem) Control and Analysis of DNA and RNA Using Nanoscale Pores
• Dave Deamer (BME/Chem) Biophysics of Membranes and Single Molecules
• Nader Pourmand (BME) Tools for Studying Genes and Proteins
• Phil Crews (Chem) Marine Natural Products as Anti-Cancer Compounds
• Olöf Einarsdóttir (Chem) Linking Energy Metabolism and Oxygen Utilization
• Tony Fink (Chem) Molecular Basis of Protein Aggregation and Protein
• Ted Holman (Chem) Lipoxygenase Inhibitors as Potential Anti-Cancer Drugs
• Dave Kliger (Chem) Visual Pigment and Heme Proteins, Light, and Biological Processes
• Scott Lokey (Chem) A Small Molecule Approach for Studying Signaling Pathways Related to Cell Motility and Cancer
• Pradip Mascharak (Chem) Light-Activated Nitric Oxide Carriers: A New Path in Cancer Treatment
• Glenn Millhauser (Chem) Remarkable Protein Structures ..... and Where They Go Wrong
• Seth Rubin (Chem) Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Regulation and Cancer
• Bill Scott (Chem) Understanding the Structure-based Mechanisms of Ribozyme-based Theraputic Agents
• Tom Schleich (Chem) Magnetic Resonance Techniques for the Detection and Management of Human Disease
• Jin Zhang (Chem) The Application of Molecular and Nanomaterial Systems to the Detection and Treatment of Cancer
• Karen Ottemann (METX) Bacterial Pathogens Sense and Respond to Host Environments
• Hinrich Boeger (MCD) The Dynamics and Function of Chromatin Structure
• Barry Bowman (MCD) The Biochemistry and Cell Biology of Membrane Proteins
• Bill Saxton (MCD) Axonal Transport and Neurodegeneration
• Al Zahler (MCD) Regulation of Pre-mRNA Splicing and Post-Transcriptional Regulation by Micro RNAs

Prof Hongyun WangThe ATP Synthase Modeling Project

Hongyun Wang, Dept. of Applied Mathematics and Statistics

Hongyun Wang uses both biophysics and molecular modeling techniques to examine mechanisms that convert chemical energy of ATP into mechanical work in biological systems.. [More]


Prof Mark AkesonControl and Analysis of DNA and RNA Using Nanoscale Pores

Mark Akeson, Dept. of Biomolecular Engineering

Mark Akeson's research is focused on the use of nanopore detectors - instruments built around a tiny pore in a membrane or thin, solid-state wafer. These pores are just big enough to allow a single strand of DNA to pass through. Akeson and his collegues use the detectors to understand the dynamics and structure of DNA duplex ends, including those of retrotransposons and HIV. Akeson also investigates the coupling of processive DNA-modifying enzymes to nanopores, both protein and solid-state. Together with UCSC Professors William Dunbar and David Deamer, he has demonstrated enzymatic control of single DNA in nanopores with sequence specificity and real-time feedback control. [More]


Prof DeamerNanopore Methods of DNA Analysis

David Deamer, Biomolecular Engineering; Chemistry

Professor David Deamer and his collaborators investigate physical properties of single DNA molecules. Together, they developed a biomolecular nanopore detector that rapidly discriminates between nearly identical strands of DNA. [More]


Prof Nader PourmandTools for Studying Genes and Proteins

Nader Pourmand, Dept. of Biomolucular Engineering

The Pourmand lab develops new tools and technologies that integrate biology, electronics, and nanofabrication for the detection and study of genes and proteins. These tools are specifically designed to increase the speed and lower the cost of sample analysis. The lab directs particular attention to the development of medically relevant technology, such as instruments for pathogen detection. Pourmand is also spearheading UCSC's effort to establish a new high-throughput, high-quality sequencing facility. [More]


Prof Phil CrewsMarine Natural Products as Anti-Cancer Compounds

Phil Crews, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

The Crews laboratory investigates the chemical structure and biological activity of chemical compounds that are derived from marine organisms. Among its many research projects, the laboratory collaborates with scientists at other research institutions and pharmaceutical industries to explore the identification and development of naturally occuring compunds in the fight against cancer. [More]


Prof Einarsdottir

Linking Energy Metabolism and Oxygen Utilization

Ólöf Einarsdóttir, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Ólöf Einarsdóttir's Laboratory is interested in fundamental properties of energy transfer in living organisms. Their work focuses on the respiratory chain that provides energy for the cell. Einarsdóttir's principle focus is an enzyme called cytochrome oxidase. Chemical, structural, and functional analyses of this enzyme promise to provide important insight into its role in certain diseases. [More]


Prof FinkThe Molecular Basis of Protein Aggregation and Protein Deposition Diseases

Anthony Fink, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Professor Fink’s laboratory examines the molecular basis of protein aggregation and protein deposition diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease, and the development of effective therapies to treat these diseases. Sadly, Tony Fink passed away on March 3, 2008. [More]

Prof HolmanLipooxygenase Inhibitors as Potential Anti-Cancer Drugs

Ted Holman, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Lipoxygenases are enzymes implicated in a broad range of human cancers, as well as cardiac and inflammatory diseases. Ted Holman's laboratory examines the enzymatic mechanism and biological function of lipoxygenase in the hopes of developing novel inhibitors. In collaboration with UCSC Professor Phil Crews, his laboratory has identified potent lipoxygenase inhibitors and are currently characterizing their structure/function reactivity. The results of this work will shed light on their potential as anti-cancer agents. [More]


Prof Kliger

Dynamics of Biomedical Molecules in Vision, Allostery, and Folding

David Kliger, Chemistry & Biochemistry

The Kliger lab uses time-resolved spectroscopy to study protein reactions.  Proteins are central to health, making study of their structure and function critical.  While traditional biochemical methods provide insight about the later steps in function, modern optical methods (particularly pulsed lasers and polarized light) reveal previously unknown steps occurring on a short time scale, which are important in biomedical processes. Such information can lead to the development of new and more effective drug therapies. [More]


Prof Scott Lokey

Chemical Genetics

Scott Lokey, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

The laboratory of Scott Lokey uses a small molecule approach, called chemical genetics, to study signaling pathways related to cell cycle checkpoints and the actin cytoskeleton. In one study, Lokey and his co-workers are developing screens of natural compounds that can be used to examine how cells detect their own DNA damage. Studies such as these might lead to development of a new class of chemotherapeutic agents. [More]


Prof. Pradip MascharakLight-Activated Nitric Oxide Carriers: A New Path in Cancer Treatment

Pradip Mascharak, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Dr. Pradip Mascharak’s bioinorganic chemistry laboratory conducts basic and applied research regarding metal-based, nitric oxide (NO) carriers that release NO when activated by light.  In cancer cells, NO induces apoptosis (programmed cell death), which is the primary cellular mechanism of tumor clearing in chemotherapeutic treatments.  Unlike conventional chemotherapy where the drug is distributed systemically, Mascharak’s synthetic “NO donors” allow unique control over where, when, and how much NO is released. This “photodynamic” approach has intriguing implications for the development of drugs in treating skin and other cancers. [More]


Prof MillhauserRemarkable Protein Structures ..... and Where They Go Wrong

Glenn Millhauser, Department of Chemistry

In the laboratory of Glenn Millhauser, investigators use peptide synthesis and magnetic resonance to investigate the structure and function of biomolecules. These studies include analysis of proteins involved in devastating metabolic and neurological diseases. [More]


Prof RubinMolecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Regulation and Cancer

Seth Rubin, Chemistry and Biochemistry

The Rubin laboratory uses a variety of structural and biochemical techniques to investigate the molecular mechanisms that control the eukaryotic cell cycle. The aim is to elucidate detailed molecular pictures of protein-protein interactions and how these interactions are regulated by structural and chemical modifications. Improper regulation of these protein interaction networks is commonly associated with aberrant cell proliferation and cancer. [More]


Prof Scott
RNA Catalysis

William Scott, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Ribozmes are RNA-based enzymes whose comparatively recent discovery came as major surprize to the scientific community, as it has always been assumed that only proteins could be enzymes. Researchers in the Scott laboratory are trying to understand how ribozymes work, using X-ray crystallography and other biochemical and biophysical techniques. The potential use of ribozymes as therapeutic agents that target RNA viruses (such as HIV) and pathological mRNAs (such as oncogene transcripts) is well-documented. Although the primary motive for our research is to answer questions of a fundamental scientific nature, it is hoped that the results of these studies will provide practical information to the scientific and medical communities to enable more potent and effective ribozyme-based pharmaceuticals to be developed by others. [More]


Prof SchleichMagnetic Resonance Techniques for the Detection and Management of Human Disease

Tom Schleich, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Tom Schleich's research focuses on the development, validation, and implementation of magnetic resonance based techniques for the detection and management of human acute and chronic disease states. His strategy follows a theme of theory, computer simulation, experimental validation, and application. [More]


Prof Jin ZhangThe Application of Molecular and Nanomaterial Systems to the Detection and Treatment of Cancer

Jin Zhang , Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

The Zhang research group is interested in the application of molecular and nanomaterial systems in conjunction with optical spectroscopy and related techniques for biomedical detection and treatment, with emphasis on cancer therapies and cancer biomarker detection.  Specific projects include: 1) investigation of mechanisms of photodynamic therapy and catalytic therapy based on porphyrins, phthalocyanines, and related compounds; 2) detection of small molecule, protein, and DNA cancer biomarkers using fluorescence based on quantum dots (QDs) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based on metal nanostrutcures; and 3) photothermal imaging and therapy of cancer using unique metal nanostructures.  This research involves systematic study of the structural, optical, and photophysical as well as photochemical properties of the materials using a combination of microscopy, x-ray, spectroscopy, and electrochemistry techniques. [More]

Prof Karen OttemannHow Bacterial Pathogens Sense and Respond to Host Environments

Karen Ottemann, Dept. of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology

Professor Karen Ottemann's laboratory investigates how bacteria translate chemical and physical cues in their host environment into adaptive responses. Mistakes in sensation and subsequent gene expression by bacteria may result in their elimination by the host immune response or peristaltic flow. Elucidation of such processes will hopefully lead to identification of anti-bacterial drug targets. Ottemann is particularly interested in the role of chemoreceptors and chemotaxis associated with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. This pathogen infects some 3 billion humans and can lead to serious disease, including ulcers and cancer. Ottemann and her colleagues have discovered two of the first chemoreceptors known to aid in the process of bacterial colonization. [More]


Prof Hinrich BoegerThe Dynamics and Function of Chromatin Structure

Hinrich Boeger, Dept. of MCD Biology

Eukaryotic organisms must package an enormous amount of genetic information in their chromosomes. DNA and proteins form a complex called chromatin, which enables this information to be compacted into a very small space within the nucleus. However, these chromatin structures must also be periodically unfolded in order to make genes accessible to regulatory factors and the molecular machinery that transcribes their information to make functional proteins for the cell. Hinrich Boeger's lab studies the unfolding of chromatin structures in the context of gene regulatory events. [More]


Prof BowmanThe Biochemistry and Cell Biology of Membrane Proteins

Barry Bowman, Dept. of MCD Biology

One third of the genes in all organisms encode membrane proteins, most of which transport molecules from one compartment to another. We use Neurospora crassa as our model organism. The complete genome has been sequenced for this filamentous fungus. It has 10,000 genes, twice the number in yeast, and a complete collection of knockout mutants is being generated. [More]


Prof Bill SaxtonAxonal Transport and Neurodegeneration

Bill Saxton, Dept. MCD Biology

The Saxton lab studies mechanisms that drive intracellular transport and cytoplasmic organization, using Drosophila as a model system. To generate and maintain proper cytoplasmic order and complex functions, cells use microtubules and force-generating motor proteins to transport RNAs, proteins, and organelles to specific cytoplasmic destinations. Neurons are especially dependent on filament-based cytoplasmic transport, because their signaling functions rely on long cytoplasmic extensions (axons and dendrites) that require highly ordered components that are synthesized near the nucleus. Saxton's group has developed methods for high-speed confocal fluorescence microscopy and digital tracking of single axonal organelles in living Drosophila, and use classical genetics and molecular approaches to manipulate suspected components of transport machinery and watch the effects on organelle motion. Biochemical approaches are also used to test specific ideas about how those components work. A number of human neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS, are caused by mutations in genes that code for axonal transport motors and other cytoskeleton associated proteins. [More]


Prof Al ZahlerRegulation of Pre-mRNA Splicing and Post-Transcriptional Regulation by Micro RNAs

Alan Zahler, MCD Biology

The human genome carries the blueprint for the creation of proteins, the molecular machines that carry out most of the work in the body. However, the diversity of the pool of available proteins is greatly enhanced by alterative splicing of our genes. The Zahler laboratory examines the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans in order to understand the regulatory mechanisms of this alternative splicing. [More]



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