Basic and Translational Research Program

							                         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/student-
enrichment-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                                       Faculty Project
Jorge Albina                       Dr. Albina’s laboratory has recently focused its attention on the
Professor of Surgery               early events that follow tissue injury. Successful wound healing
Rhode Island Hospital              requires the coordinated activities of multiple cell types that
                                   constitute the inflammatory and reparative response to tissue
Jorge_Albina@Brown.EDU             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.
Jason Aliotta                      Dr. Aliotta is focused on the role of stem cells in pulmonary repair
Asst Professor of Medicine         and regeneration. His research emphasizes the role of stem cell
Rhode Island Hospital              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                       Dr. Ayala’s research interests include differential effects of sepsis
Professor of Surgery (Research)    on immune cell function, the role of programmed cell
Rhode Island Hospital              death/apoptosis in the immune dysfunction associated with
                                   hemorrhage and/or sepsis, and the contribution of the apoptotic
Aayala@lifespan.org                process to phagocyte-mediated acute lung injury resulting from
                                   shock and/or septic insults.

Bum-Rak Choi                       Dr. Choi is interested in cellular electrophysiology. His ongoing
Asst Professor of Medicine         projects focus on the possible involvement of the Purkinje network,
(Research)                         a highly specialized conduction system, in ventricular fibrillation,
Rhode Island Hospital              and mechanisms underlying AV nodal reentry. The latter project is
                                   based on the hypothesis that dual pathways within the AV node
bchoi@lifespan.org                 are substantially changed with aging, thereby providing an
                                   anatomical substrate for reentry.
Gaurav Choudhary                   Dr. Choudhary’s research is focused on mechanisms underlying
Asst Professor of Medicine         the vascular dysfunction seen in hypoxia. He utilizes molecular
Veteran Affairs Medical Center     biology and electrohysiological approaches. A major area of
                                   emphasis is understanding the role of natriuretic peptides in
Gauray.choudhary@va.gov            hypoxia and intermittent-hypoxia mediated endothelial dysfunction.


Monique DePaepe                    Dr. DePaepe’s research focuses on the regulation of alveolar
Assoc Professor of Pathology and   remodeling in normal and pathological lung development. Of
Laboratory Medicine                particular interest are deciphering the role and regulation of
Women & Infants Hospital           apoptosis and angiogenesis in alveolarization. It is anticipated
                                   that these studies will contribute to the development of novel
mdepaepe@wihri.org                 therapeutic strategies for bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a chronic
                                   lung disease of preterm infants characterized by arrested alveolar
                                   development.

Charles Eaton                      Charles Eaton is family physician researcher with special interest
Professor of Family Medicine       in the prevention of coronary heart disease through a more
Memorial Hospital of RI            thorough understanding of its risk factors, genetic predisposition,
                                   and predisposing environmental factors. His research has
Charles_Eaton@mhri.org             focused on better understanding the role of family history, physical
                                   inactivity, nutrition, and novel risk factors in the prevention of
                                   coronary heart disease.


Constantine Gatsonis               Dr. Gatsonis has research interests in Bayesian inference and its
Professor of Medical Science       applications to problems in biostatistics, medical technology
BioMed Community Health            evaluation with emphasis on the clinical evaluation of diagnostic
                                   imaging, bioinformatics with emphasis on proteomics, and
Constantine_Gatsonis@brown.edu     methodological aspects of health services and outcomes research.


Philip Gruppuso                    Dr. Gruppuso’s laboratory studies the control of hepatocyte
Assoc Dean of Medicine             proliferation during normal liver development, liver regeneration
Endocrinology & Metabolism         and carcinogenesis. His work has most recently focused on
Hasbro Children’s Hospital         nutrient signaling to the cell cycle. Of particular interest are the
                                   signaling events downstream from the nutrient signaling kinase,
Philip_Gruppuso@brown.edu          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.
Elizabeth Harrington               The focus of Dr. Harrington’s research is the characterization of
Assoc Professor of Medicine        intracellular signaling mechanisms which regulate endothelial cell
(Research)                         functions and/or responses to environmental cues. Vascular injury
Veterans Affairs Medical Center    has been implicated in the pathogenesis of disorders such as
                                   sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Thus,
Elizabeth_Harrington@brown.edu     identification of molecules key in regulating endothelial cell
                                   functions may lead to therapeutic strategies for controlling
                                   vascular tissue damage and enhancing repair.
Edward Hawrot                      Dr. Hawrot pursues biochemical and pharmacological studies
Professor of Medical Science       aimed at understanding the fundamental structure-function
BioMed Molecular Pharmacology,     relationship of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). He also
Phsyciology & Biotechnology        studies the molecular basis for the highly specific recognition of
                                   muscle-type nAChRs by certain snake venom-derived toxins
Edward_Hawrot@brown.edu            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 Istrail's research focuses on computational molecular
Professor of Computer Science       biology, medical and pharma informatics, statistical physics,
Computer Science at Brown           combinatorial algorithms, and computational complexity. His main
University                          projects are Genomic Regulation and Gene Regulatory Networks,
                                    Computational Methods for SNPs, Haplotypes and Disease
Sorin_Istrail@brown.edu             Associations, Medical Bioinformatics, Programming Languages for
                                    Genomics, and Protein Folding Algorithms and Simulation.

Agnes Kane                          Dr. Kane’s primary area of interest is the potential health effects of
Professor of Medical Science        environmental and occupational exposure to asbestos fibers,
BioMed Pathology & Laboratory       mixed dusts, and nanomaterials. Her laboratory has developed a
Medicine                            murine model of asbestos-induced malignant mesothelioma that
                                    reproduces the morphologic and molecular characteristics of the
Anges_Kane@brown.edu                human disease. This murine model will be used to develop new
                                    strategies for prevention and treatment of asbestos-related cancer.
James Klinger                       Dr. Klinger is focused on the role of natriuretic peptides in
Assoc Professor of Medicine         pulmonary endothelial cell barrier function, vascular smooth
Rhode Island Hospital               muscle proliferation and right ventricular hypertrophic responses.
                                    The major goals of his work are to explore cellular mechanisms by
jklinger@lifespan.org               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.
Diane Lipscombe                     Dr. Lipscombe studies voltage-gated calcium channels, the
Professor of Neuroscience           gatekeepers of excitation-driven calcium entry in all excitable cells.
Director of Neuroscience Graduate   These channels control a diverse array of functions. Alternative
Program                             splicing expands their functional capabilities and contributes
                                    greatly to the expansion of the proteome required to support
Diane_Lipscombe@brown.edu           complex brain and cardiovascular functions. She studies cell-
                                    specific alternative splicing in neurons in normal and disease
                                    states; current projects focus on chronic pain and bipolar disorder.
Gong Xin Liu                        Dr. Liu is a molecular electrophysiologist who is interested in the
Asst Professor of Medicine          regulation of the function of potassium channels.
(Research)
Rhode Island Hospital

Gliu@lifespan.org
Qing Lu                             Pulmonary endothelium apoptosis plays a critical role in a
Asst Professor of Medicine          spectrum of devastating lung diseases, such as emphysema and
(Research)                          pulmonary artery hypertension. The focus of Dr. Lu’s work is to
Veterans Affairs Medical Center     understand the molecular mechanism(s) underlying TGF-beta1
                                    regulation of pulmonary endothelium apoptosis and pathogenesis
Qing_lu@brown.edu                   of emphysema induced by cigarette smoke exposure. These
                                    studies are intended to inform possible therapeutic strategies for
                                    lung diseases.
John Marshall                       In response to hormonal or synaptic stimulation, excitable cells
Professor of Medical Science        (including smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and neurons) undergo
BioMed Molecular Pharmacology,      a diversity of changes in their electrical properties. Dr. Marshall’s
Physciology & Biotechnology         laboratory is studying the trafficking and localization of glutamate
                                    receptors and calcium channels to synapses, and their modulation
John_Marshall@brown.edu             by protein kinases.
Ulrike Mende                      Dr. Mende is interested in the functional role of G proteins (GTP-
Assoc Professor of Medicine       binding proteins) and their regulators (Regulators of G protein
Rhode Island Hospital             Signaling) in the heart. They are crucial for the transmission of
                                  signals from the cell surface to the inside. Changes in their amount
umende@lifespan.org               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 protein-
                                  mediated 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.

Vincent Mor                       Dr. Mor's research focuses on the organizational and health care
Professor of Medical Science      delivery system factors associated with variation in use of health
BioMed Gerontology Health         services with particular emphasis on the outcomes experienced by
                                  frail and chronically ill persons. Areas of study include: the quality
Vincent_Mor@brown.edu             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.

James Padbury                     Dr. Padbury’s laboratory is interested in the developmental
Professor of Pediatrics           regulation of genes involved in the growth and function of the
Women & Infants Hospital          developing heart and placenta. There are numerous examples of
                                  unique expression of genes and/or differential mechanisms for
JPadbury@wihri.org                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.

Paul Pirraglia                    Dr. Pirraglia is an primary care physician at the Providence VA
Assistant Professor of Medicine   Medical Center. His research is on the overlap of medical and
Veterans Affairs Medical Center   mental health conditions, focusing on medical care delivery to
                                  those with mental illness. His current work includes assessing the
paul.pirraglia@va.gov             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.
Jonathan Reichner                 ß-glucan is a (1,3)(1,6)-beta-linked polymer of glucose normally
Assoc Professor of Surgery        found as a structural component of the fungal cell wall. Since
(Research)                        beta-glucan is not expressed in mammalian cells, it is an example
Rhode Island Hospital             of a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) that permits
                                  leukocytes to recognize microbes as foreign. Although PAMPs
Jonathan_Reichner@brown.edu       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                       Among vertebrates, the mechanical behavior of muscles, tendons,
Assoc Professor of Ecology &         and bones is quite conserved at the tissue and cellular levels. The
Evolutionary Biology                 diversity of locomotor performance results in large part from the
BioMed Ecology & Evolutionary        arrangement and interaction of these components. Dr. Roberts’
Biology at Brown University          research uses the tools of biomechanics and functional
                                     morphology to study how the mechanical properties of muscles
Thomas_Roberts@brown.edu             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.
Sharon Rounds                        Dr. Rounds is interested in mechanisms of lung vascular injury in
Chief of Medicine                    conditions causing pulmonary hypertension and acute lung injury.
Veterans Affairs Medical Center      Her work focuses on the way in which endothelial cells of the lung
                                     circulation are injured. She is also interested in chronic
Sharon_Rounds@brown.edu              obstructive pulmonary disease and factors that impair compliance
                                     with therapy.
Juan Sanchez-Estaban                 Premature infants suffer a high rate of long-term pulmonary
Assoc Professor of Pediatrics        complications. In the womb, the fetal lung is exposed to
Women & Infants Hospital             mechanical forces that are critical for normal lung development.
                                     Dr. Estaban’s laboratory is trying to understand how the fetal lungs
Juan_Sanchez-Esteban@brown.edu       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.
John Sedivy                          Professor Sedivy is widely recognized for his efforts in mammalian
Professor of Medical Science         cell genetics, having developed and pioneered methods for gene
BioMed Molecular, Cellular Biology   targeting of somatic cells. In 1995 his laboratory isolated the first
Biochemistry                         viable gene knockout of the Myc oncogene, and in 1997 the first
                                     homozygous gene knockout in a normal human cell. Part of his
John_Sedivy@brown.edu                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 telomere-
                                     independent stresses cause cellular senescence.
Frank Sellke, MD                     Dr. Sellke’s laboratory is involved primarily in the examination of
Professor of Surgery                 the microcirculation of the heart, lung, brain and other organs.
Rhode Island Hospital                Specifically, they investigate the effects of extracorporeal
                                     circulation, cardioplegia, and ischemia and reperfusion on altered
fsellke@Lifespan.org                 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                      Dr. Sharma’s laboratory has a multifaceted research program
Professor of Pediatrics (Research)   focused on answering the question of why some women are
Women & Infants Hospital             predisposed to pregnancy complications. These problems may
                                     originate from abnormal immune and hormonal responses during
ssharma@wihri.org                    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.
Anubhav Tripathi                     Dr. Tripathi’s research focuses on understanding biochemical and
Assoc Professor of Engineering       biomolecular processes in microchip environments. Projects
Engineering Department of Brown      include developing continuous flow DNA and RNA amplification
University                           processes, rapid identification of Influenza subtypes, fast screens
                                     for protein folding and unfolding buffers, separation of protein
Anubhav_Tripathi@brown.edu           isoforms, developing micro-bubble shells for detecting pathological
                                     conditions, and developing nanoparticle induced pathogen lysis.
Jack Wands                           Dr. Wands directs the Liver Research Center, a 13,000-sq. ft.
Professor of Medicine                facility that emphasizes studies relating to the molecular biology of
Rhode Island Hospital                liver diseases. His primary areas of research focus include liver
                                     carcinogenesis and the pathophysiology of hepatitis-induced liver
Jack_Wangs_MD@brown.edu              injury.

Wen-Chih Wu                          Dr. Wu is interested in the relationship between anemia, blood
Asst Professor of Medicine           transfusion and death or cardiovascular adverse events in elderly
Veterans Affairs Medical Center      patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. He has undertaken a
                                     study that will use over 300,000 patients archived in the VA
wen-chih.wu@va.gov                   National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 1997-2004