Research and Practice
The faculty of the BMB Department conduct research to gain new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying normal and abnormal cellular processes, and their relevance as targets for improving health and treating disease.
Key areas of interest in the department include the study of pathways and mechanisms involved in the maintenance of genome integrity and protein homeostasis, in response to various stresses. We have a major focus on understanding the dysregulation of these processes in cancer and in aging. The biological settings in which we characterize these processes include normal physiology, bacterial and viral infection, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Our experimental approach to these important topics is exceptionally broad, ranging from genetic engineering to live cell imaging to the study of molecules by X-ray crystallography, and likewise makes use of a range of genetically-tractable model organisms including mice, yeast, and nematode worms.
Key research areas
Quality Control in Biology: Understanding Disease Risk at a Molecular level
Quality control in biology refers to cellular mechanisms that detect and define “damage” incurred to biological macromolecules (e.g., DNA mutation or misfolded protein) and targets them for repair and recycling, or disposal. Failure of quality control pathways is at the source of many diseases including cancer, various neurodegenerative conditions, and aging. We approach questions related to quality control at the structural, biochemical, molecular, cellular, tissue/organ, and organismic levels. This area of interest builds on historically strong areas of research in the Department, including DNA repair mechanisms and post-translational modifications of proteins, such as ubiquitination, sumoylation, and poly(ADP)-ribosylation.
Cancer biology from mechanisms to patient populations
Cancer is a leading cause of mortality in the U.S. As a basic science department in the leading School of Public Health, BMB is uniquely positioned to not only uncover the basic underpinnings of cancer biology but connect those findings to the public health implications of the disease and perform community engagement and outreach. BMB has a long history of revealing the molecular mechanisms of cancer. Current BMB research includes studies of specific cancer types, including melanoma, colorectal, and breast cancer. We research areas such as genome integrity, cellular signaling pathways, drug resistance, and the importance of the tumor microenvironment. BMB uncovers cancer mechanisms at the molecular and cellular level and in larger contexts, such the impacts of systemic factors like age, sex, and race in the pathogenesis of cancer. BMB’s long running, NCI-funded training program includes cancer researchers from across the Schools of Public Health and Medicine.
Extrinsic Effectors of Health: From Aging to Zip Codes
Many of our labs not only look at biological processes which have impacts that reach populations, but also aim to understand external factors that have profound effects on biology down to the molecular level. Research in this area includes tracing the influence of aging on prevalence and progression of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, and the impact of neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors on epigenetic markers associated with disease risk.