CWRU Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

MSTP Mentor List (Sorted by Department) and Research Interest

Please click on a name to view a more detailed profile.

Joseph Lamanna Anatomy	Cerebral blood flow, cerebral ischemia, blood-brain barrier
Paul Carey Biochemistry	Enzyme mechanisms, Raman spectroscopy, beta-lactamases and ribozymes, physical biochemistry
Nikki Harter Biochemistry	Understanding the nature of cellular quiescence, the counterpart to proliferation; the role of MyoD in the biology of satellite cells, the adult stem cells of skeletal muscle; and the epigenetic specification of melanoma
Eckhard Jankowsky Biochemistry	Single molecule enzymology (RNA helicases) & single molecule studies of ribonucleoprotein machinery (HCV replication and pre-mRNA splicing)
Hung-Ying Kao Biochemistry	The ultimate goal of my research is to understand the mechanisms of the transcriptional control by diverse signaling pathways and the molecular basis of human diseases related to transcriptional regulation. One of the approaches toward these goals is using nuclear hormone receptors as a model system. Another major focus of my research is to characterize the biochemical properties and to determine the physiological role of the newly identified class II histone deacetylases.
William Merrick Biochemistry	Mechanism and regulation of eukaryotic protein biosynthesis
Steven Sanders Biochemistry	The goal of our research is to understand the role of enzymes that mark chromatin by post-translational modification and how deregulation of these enzymes contributes to the development of cancer.
Focco van den Akker Biochemistry	The overall goal of my research is to elucidate the molecular intricacies of enzyme mechanism and receptor activation. Our structural biology projects range from guanylyl cyclases (blood pressure, vision, and bone growth) to beta-lactamases (largely responsible for the current epidemic antibiotic resistance).
Michael Weiss Biochemistry	Structural mechanisms of human diseases; Transcriptional deregulation and protein misfolding with applications to diabetes and disorders of sexual development
Radhika Atit Biology	Embryonic skin development
Arnold Caplan Biology	Developmental and cell biology and biochemistry of muscle, cartilage, bone, skin and connective tissue, with emphasis on how stem cells differentiate under conditions of tissue-engineered regeneration
Hillel Chiel Biology	Neural networks, electrophysiology, modeling, Aplysia, biomechanics, feeding behavior.
Dominique Durand Biomedical Engineering	Neural engineering, neural prostheses, magnetic and electric stimulation of the nervous system, electrophysiology of epilepsy, computational neuroscience.
Robert Kirsch Biomedical Engineering	Mechanics and control of human movement
Roger Marchant Biomedical Engineering	Biomaterials. Biopolymers, bio-synthetic surfactants, polymer surface modification for implants and sensors, protein-surface interactions by AFM.
P. Hunter Peckham Biomedical Engineering	Motor function restoration with neural prostheses, control of orthotic and prosthetic systems.
Andrew Rollins Biomedical Engineering	The application of advanced optics and photonics technologies for in vivo microscopic imaging and characterization of biological tissues, with particular emphasis on early cancer detection and phenotyping and morphometry in early cardiac development using Optical Coherence Tomography.
Horst von Recum Biomedical Engineering	The research in our laboratory focuses on novel platforms for the delivery of molecules and cells.
David Wilson Biomedical Engineering	Biomedical image processing; digital processing and quantitative image quality of X-ray fluoroscopy images; interventional MRI.
Xin Yu Biomedical Engineering	Cardiovascular physiology; magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy; characterization of the structure-function and energy–function relationships in normal and diseased hearts; small animal imaging and spectroscopy
Cameron McIntyre Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland Clinic	Interaction between electric fields and the Nervous System, specifically Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
Eben Alsberg Biomedical Engineering, Orthopaedics	Biomimetic tissue engineering; innovative biomaterials and drug delivery vehicles for functional tissue regeneration and cancer therapy; control of stem cell differentiation
Jeffrey Duerk Biomedical Engineering, Radiology	Magnetic resonance imaging, flow visualization, interventional MRI, rapid MR imaging, MR vessel wall imaging
Kenneth J Gustafson Biomedical Engineering, Urology	Neural engineering and neural prosthesis development with a focus on understanding systems-level neurophysiology and neural control of pelvic functions
Agata A Exner BME, Radiology	Minimally invasive methods of cancer treatment including: ultrasound-modulated, image-guided drug delivery, thermosensitizers for focused hyperthermia, and vasomodulation for improved local ablation and treatment follow-up
Mukesh Jain Cardiovascular Research Institute	Transcriptional mechanisms governing cellular differentiation and function
Thomas Egelhoff Cell Biology, Cleveland Clinic	Signaling pathways and mechanics of cancer cell chemotaxis; cell biology of chemotaxis in the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum.
Stanley Hazen Cell Biology, Cleveland Clinic	inflammation biology, free radicals and oxidation chemistry, internal medicine, endocrinology
Thomas M. McIntyre Cell Biology, Cleveland Clinic	Human endothelial cell, monocyte/macrophage and leukocyte function. Inflammatory signaling molecules, lipid mediators and intercellular adhesion molecules. Enzymes that make and degrade Platelet-activating Factor, phospholipid oxidation and eicosanoid function.
Roy Silverstein Cell Biology, Cleveland Clinic	thrombosis, athersclerosis, angiogenesis
Amy Hise Center for Global Health & Diseases	Innate immunology; Host defense to Candida albicans and oral microbes; Immune recognition of Rift Valley fever virus; Genetic polymorphisms and innate immunity
James Kazura Center for Global Health & Diseases	Immunoregulatory mechanisms of pathogenesis; acquired resistance to infection; malaria
Christopher L King Center for Global Health & Diseases	T cell differentiation, Malaria Schistosomiasis, Filariasis Neonatal immunity, IgE regulation Mechanisms of acquired immunity
Mark Chance Center for Proteomics & Bioinformatics, Physiology & Biophysics	Protein Structure / Function: Digestive, Liver and Epithelial, Endocrine, Metabolic Disorders, Cancer, Diabetes
Michael Harris Center for RNA Molecular Biology	Molecular recognition and catalysis by the ribonuclease P: A ribonucleoprotein enzyme, and analysis of phosphoryl transfer mechanisms using kinetic isotope effects
Timothy Nilsen Center for RNA Molecular Biology	RNA processing and transcription in nematodes. Homologous cell free systems are used to dissect in detail the mechanisms of cis- and trans-splicing as well as the transcription of UsnRNA genes
Saba Valadkhan Center for RNA Molecular Biology	Function of human snRNAs, functional analysis of large non-coding RNAs
Robert G Salomon Chemistry	The role of lipid oxidation in disease, develop new diagnostic tools for identifying individuals at risk and assessing the efficacy of therapeutic interventions, provide a molecular basis for the design of new drugs and strategies
Michael Zagorski Chemistry	structures and mechanisms involved in protein mis-folding and amyloid formation.
Robert Elston Epidemiology & Biostatistics	Development of statistical methods for analyzing family and pedigree data for the identification of genes that cause disease, implementing them in computer programs, and applying them in collaborative research with others who collect family data.
Sudha Iyengar Epidemiology & Biostatistics	Genetics of complex diseases in humans
Leila Jackson Epidemiology & Biostatistics	Lifestyle, environmental, and occupational factors and their impact on reproductive and perinatal health
Catherine Stein Epidemiology & Biostatistics	Genetic and environmental susceptibility to tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, and multivariate methods for analyzing complex diseases
Charis Eng Genetics	Genomics-based personalized cancer risk assessment; Genetics and sub-cellular trafficking of PTEN in breast carcinogenesis
Peter Harte Genetics	Epigenetic regulation of chromatin structure and transcription, histone modifying enzymes, Polycomb silencing, genetic control of lifespan and aging
Hua Lou Genetics	Alternative RNA processing and its role in cancer development
Kathy Molyneaux Genetics	Development of the mammalian gonad
Joseph Nadeau Genetics	Comparative Mapping and Mouse Models of Human Disease; Networks of Control of Gene Expression; Genetic and Phenotypic Dissection of Complex Traits Using Mouse Genomics
Helen Salz Genetics	Drosophila molecular genetics; Post-transcriptional control of cell fate determination; Alternative RNA splicing
Peter Scacheri Genetics	Genomics of cancer and other human diseases with underlying defects in chromatin structure and function
Keiko Tamai Genetics	Understanding signaling pathways that determine early pattern formation of vertebrate embryogenesis, particularly the molecular mechanisms of the Wnt signaling pathway
Zhenghe John Wang Genetics	Identifying novel genetic alterations, such as somatic mutations, gene amplifications and deletions, which alter critical gene functions involved in development of colon and gastric cancers
Robert Fairchild Immunology, Cleveland Clinic	T-lymphocyte tolerance, transplantation immunology
Thomas Hamilton Immunology, Cleveland Clinic	Analysis of mechanisms regulating inflammatory gene expression in mononuclear phagocytes. Analysis of stimulus-dependent control of chemokine and cytokine mRNA stability.
Xiaoxia Li Immunology, Cleveland Clinic	Signal transduction in innate and adaptive immunity
Booki Min Immunology, Cleveland Clinic	Homeostatic control of T cell subsets, CD4, CD8, and gamma delta T cells; Immunoregulatory roles of basophils in Th2 immunity
Vincent Tuohy Immunology, Cleveland Clinic	Autoimmunity, Multiple Sclerosis
Christopher Hernandez Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering	Mechanical Properties of Cancellous Bone and Bone Adaptation and Cancellous Bone Mechanics
Clare M Rimnac Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering	Mechanical performance of orthopaedic total joint replacements through fundamental materials studies and implant retrieval analysis; skeletal fragility of bone tissue (damage accumulation and repair); design and manufacture of resorbable polymeric scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration and repair.
J. Kevin Donahue Medicine	Cardiac arrhythmia mechanisms, arrhythmia therapy outcomes, gene therapy, virology
David Rosenbaum Medicine	Mechanisms of arrhythmias, cardiac repolarization, and intercellular coupling
Steven Fisher Medicine (Cardiology)	Regulation of gene expression and phenotypic switching in vascular smooth muscle; role of programmed cell death and chamber-specific gene expression during heart development
Alan Levine Medicine (Gastroenterology)	Immune regulation, with targeted interest in (i) IBD in the intestine: Role of the mucosal T lymphocyte and epithelial cell, (ii) Intestinal permeability in HIV infection, and (iii) Link between chronic inflammation and colorectal cancer
Clark Distelhorst Medicine (Hematology & Oncology)	Steroid hormone action; programmed cell death; apoptosis.
Sanford Markowitz Medicine (Hematology-Oncology)	Colon cancer genetics
Stanton Gerson Medicine (Hematology-Oncology), Cancer Center	Transgenic mice and carcinogenesis, retroviral gene therapy, DNA repair, hematopoietic stem cells
Eric Arts Medicine (Infectious Diseases)	HIV-1 drug resistance to nucleoside and chemokine analogs; HIV-1 evolution and emergence of drug resistance in Africa.
Robert A Bonomo Medicine (Infectious Diseases)	Structure function studies of Class A beta-lactamases. Understanding enzymological factors that permit the successful evolution of beta-lactamases in the clinic. Development of immunological tools to study beta-lactamase expression in enteric bacilli.
W Henry Boom Medicine (Infectious Diseases)	CD4+ T cells,CD8+ T cells,gamma delta T cells,tuberculosis,cytokines,antigen processing,anti-microbial immunity,HIV-1,pulmonary host defense
Michael Lederman Medicine (Infectious Diseases)	Mechanisms of immune deficiency and immune restoration in HIV infection
Carlos Subauste Medicine/Infectious Diseases, Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences	Immunology, cell signaling in host-pathogen interactions, Toxoplasma, HIV, autophagy, selective blockade of CD40 signaling to control disorders such as atherosclerosis and microvascular complications of diabetes
Susan Brady-Kalnay Molecular Biology & Microbiology	Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases, cell adhesion, and signal transduction; PTPs in adherens junctions and desmosomes.
Piet De Boer Molecular Biology & Microbiology	Bacterial molecular genetics; biochemistry and cell biology; formation of the division of septum and related cell cycle events
Jonathan Karn Molecular Biology & Microbiology	Control of Gene Expression in HIV
Liem Nguyen Molecular Biology & Microbiology	Host-mycobacterial interactions; virulence factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis; antibiotic resistance and cell biology of mycobacteria
Ganes Sen Molecular Genetics & Virology, Cleveland Clinic	Molecular Virology, Mechanism of Interferon Action, Recombinant DNA Technology, Genetic Regulation of Hypertension
Heather Broihier Neurosciences	Fundamental biological mechanisms guiding the generation of functional neuronal classes
Evan Deneris Neurosciences	Mechanisms of neuronal gene expression, cholinergic and serotonergic transmitter systems.
Stefan Herlitze Neurosciences	Modulation of ion channels, signaling pathways and neuronal networks for mouse physiology and behavior
David Katz Neurosciences	Regulatory interactions in development of the nervous system, neurotransmitter phenotypes, neural growth factors.
Lynn Landmesser Neurosciences	Formation of neural circuits, growth cone guidance, synapse plasticity, activity dependant processes.
Gary Landreth Neurosciences	Nerve growth factor, protein kinases, MAP 2 kinase, Alzheimer's disease.
Robert Miller Neurosciences	Developmental neurobiology, glial function, CNS pattern formation
Jerry Silver Neurosciences	Role of glial cells in development and regeneration of neural circuits, nerve regeneration, glia, axon guidance
Benjamin Strowbridge Neurosciences	Synaptic Physiology, hippocampus, olfactory bulb, Computational Neuroscience.
Bruce Lamb Neurosciences, Cleveland Clinic	Alzheimer's Disease; Genomic Imprinting and Epigenetics; Yeast Artificial Chromosome Transgenic Mice; Models of Human Disease; Epigenetic Gene Regulation; Developmental Control of Epigenetics
Richard Ransohoff Neurosciences, Cleveland Clinic	multiple sclerosis, neuroimmunology
Henri Brunengraber Nutrition	Metabolic regulation, ketone body metabolism, design and testing of synthetic nutrients, ethanol metabolism, lipogenesis
Colleen Croniger Nutrition	The molecular changes in the pancreas of animal models that are either resistant or sensitive to obesity in response to environmental stresses such as caffeine and a high-fat diet.
Maria Hatzoglou Nutrition	Arginine metabolism, gene regulation, viral receptors and gene therapy
Danny Manor Nutrition	Etiology, treatment and prevention of cancer: signal transduction pathways that regulate normal cell growth; molecular prevention
Eric Pearlman Ophthalmology	The Pearlman laboratory is involved in two major projects on innate immunity: Innate immune responses in fungal infections of the eye, and Role of toll like receptors in bacterial keratitis
Paul Park Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences	Mechanism of action of rhodopsin and other G protein-coupled receptors
Ronald Triolo Orthopaedics, VA Hospital	Rehabilitation engineering, neural control of motion, lower- extremity neuroprostheses, orthopaedic biomechanics and prosthetic/orthotic design
Edward Greenfield Orthopedics	Osteoporosis, loosening of orthopaedic implants, cytokines, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, bone resorption, cell-cell interactions, osteosarcoma, signal transduction
Qing Zheng Otolaryngology	Genes, molecular pathways and drug discovery involved in disease processes in mouse models of human deafness, including Otitis Media (OM) and Usher syndrome
Laura Nagy Pathobiology, Cleveland Clinic	Innate immunity and liver disease, ethanol and signal transduction
Derek Abbott Pathology	Inflammatory diseases and innate immune signaling pathways
James M Anderson Pathology	Biocompatibility of implants, human vascular grafts, immune responses to foreign materials, phagocytosis, inflammation
Shu G. Chen Pathology	Aging; cell biology; dementia; degenerative disease; neuroscience; prion disease; protein chemistry
Brian Cobb Pathology	Antigen processing and presentation of carbohydrate antigens
LR Devireddy Pathology	Lipocalin 24p3 and its role in apoptosis, iron transport, innate immmunity, and myeloproliferative disease
Clifford Harding Pathology	Immunology, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, antigen processing, function of antigen presenting cells and T cells, Toll-like receptors, vaccine adjuvants, Cell Biology, phagocytosis, endocytosis, subcellular fractionation, Infectious Disease, mycobacteria, tuberculosis
Vincent Monnier Pathology	Molecular mechanisms of protein aging, oxidative stress, complications of diabetes and aging, cataractogenesis, microbial enzyme technology
Mark Smith Pathology	Aging, Alzheimer disease, cell cycle control, cytoskeletal organization, neurodegeneration, oxidative stress
Xiongwei Zhu Pathology	Neurodegenerative mechanisms underlying Alzheimer disease and other neurodegenerative diseases
Thomas Gerken Pediatrics	Protein structure and dynamics; NMR techniques; molecular modeling of glycoproteins and mucins
Alex Huang Pediatrics	Tumor Immunology; Intravital two-photon laser scanning microscopy; T cell and chemokine receptor biology; Cellular trafficking, migration and interaction in inflammation, cancer and auto-immunity
Stephen Maricich Pediatrics	My laboratory studies the development of the brainstem components of the central auditory system (cochlear nucleus, superior olivary complex and nuclei of the trapezoid body) with the ultimate goal of understanding where these structures arise, the developmental relationships of the cells in these structures, and how perturbations of one part of the system effect the development and function of other components.
Chris Dealwis Pharmacology	Understanding the structural organization requirements by multiple protein assemblies to facilitate biological function
Charles L. Hoppel Pharmacology	The main focus of the laboratory is mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. The organization of the pathway for mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation is of particular interest as a potential site for control of the system.
Ruth Keri Pharmacology	Hormonal control of mammary gland development and construction of transgenic mouse models of breast cancer; functional genomics of mammary gland development and cancer.
Paul MacDonald Pharmacology	Molecular mechanisms of vitamin D- and nuclear receptor-mediated gene expression.
Mike Maguire Pharmacology	Mg2+ homeostasis; Structure of Mg2+ channels, esp. the CorA superfamily of channels; Role of Mg2+ in Salmonella pathogenesis
Noa Noy Pharmacology	Mechanisms of action and biological functions of nuclear hormone receptors
Krzysztof Palczewski Pharmacology	Mapping the Visual Transduction System
Walter Boron Physiology & Biophysics	Physiology of ion-transport processes involved in the regulation of intracellular pH
Matthias Buck Physiology & Biophysics	Molecular Biophysics of small GTPase-protein interactions in neuronal cell signaling. We use molecular biology, NMR and X-ray spectroscopy as well as thermodynamic measurements to determine the basic mechanisms by which proteins transmit signals in cells. Principal project: The plexin transmembrane receptor in axon guidance.
Margaret Chandler Physiology & Biophysics	Systems Integrated Physiology: Muscle, Heart, Metabolic Disorders, Hypertension, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease
George Dubyak Physiology & Biophysics	Signal transduction involving receptors for extracellular ATP; inflammatory signal transduction mechanisms; mechanisms of nucleotide release and extracellular metabolism.
Corey Smith Physiology & Biophysics	Endocrine, Brain and Nervous System, Heart, Metabolic Disorders, Hypertension, Pulmonary Disease, Cardiovascular Disease
Bingcheng Wang Rammelkamp Center for Research, MetroHealth Hospital	Molecular mechanisms governing cell migration and proliferation, experimental therapy of cancer metastasis using tumor-targeting peptides.
Marc S Penn Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, Cleveland Clinic	myocardial ischemia, vascular biology, cardiac critical care
Jeremy Rich Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, Cleveland Clinic	Brain tumors display a hierarchy of tumor cells with a subset of the neoplastic compartment sharing characteristics with stem cells. We have shown that these cancer stem cells are resistant to radiotherapy and promote angiogenesis. Our current studies are directed towards better understanding cancer stem cell biology to develop new cancer therapies.