Dr. Jill Turner, SC College of Pharmacy, Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences
Interests: Nicotinic receptor signaling in neurological disease and mental disorders Dr. Turner's lab investigates the genomic alterations resulting from chronic nicotine administration and withdrawal using ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq technologies and how these changes impact both behavior as well as the concordant transcriptionally-driven circuitry adaptations. These altered preclinical genomic targets observed following chronic treatment and withdrawal are then candidates for SNP analysis in the smoking population. Website: www.turnerlaboratory.org |
Dr. Jeff Twiss, SmartState Chair Neurotherapeutics, Department of Biological Sciences
Interests: neural repair, axonal regeneration, axonal transcription Dr. Twiss's research focuses on neural repair mechanisms, specifically on how to utilize these mechanisms to improve recovery after injury of the nervous system. Long range communication in the nervous system is provided through the axonal processes that connect neurons with their targets. These cytoplasmic processes can extend for several centimeters in rodents and a meter or more in larger mammals like humans. Disruption of this communication pathway, either through injury or disease, often results in permanent loss of function unless neural connections can be restored. His work aims to restore neural function by finding means to improve regeneration of axons. Website: http://www.biol.sc.edu/faculty/twiss |
Dr. Misha Shtutman, SC College of Pharmacy, Deparment of Drug Discover and Biomedical Sciences
Interests: non-coding RNA, Next Generation Sequencing, genomic regulation Dr. Shtutman's lab focuses on translating the role of microRNAs and other non-coding RNAs into improved cancer diagnostics and therapies, including for cancer prevention such as smoking cessation. Website: Dr. Shtutman at Hollings Cancer Center |
Dr. Homayoun Valafar, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Interests: Computational Biology, Bioinformatics and Medical informatics, Computational Medicine, Artificial Intelligence, Optimization, Parallel algorithms and architectures Dr. Valafar's research interests are the implementation of mathematical, statistical and engineering techniques in the area of computational biology, bioinformatics, and medical informatics. A more specific area of his actively funded research is the problem of protein folding, protein/ligand and protein/protein interaction. Website: http://www.cse.sc.edu/~homayoun/ |
Dr. Pavel Ortinski, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience
Interests: Drugs of abuse, behavioral pharmacology, electrophysiology, functional connectivity Dr. Ortinski's laboratory investigates neuronal correlates of addictive behaviors. The main goal is to understand how exposure to drugs of abuse modifies neuronal transmission in brain areas critical for reward and motivation processing. Our most recent studies focus on a major unanswered question of whether it is possible to isolate neuronal changes responsible for the expression of a “hypermotivated” state that leads to pursuit of a drug reward. To examine this and similar questions, we use a variety of tools including: in vitro electrophysiology, behavioral pharmacology, molecular assays, electrochemical analyses, and imaging techniques. Website: http://ppn.med.sc.edu/portinski.asp |
Dr. Fabienne Poulain, Department of Biological Sciences
Interests: Molecular and cellular mechanisms of neuronal development, axon guidance, axon degeneration, circuit formation, neurodegenerative disorders. Dr Poulain’s research investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling the formation of neuronal circuits in vivo. During development, neurons extend axons that navigate along defined paths towards their target by responding to attractive and repulsive cues. In addition to this guidance process, mechanisms involving degeneration correct axons that have deviated from the right path, thereby ensuring accurate circuit formation. We use genetic and live imaging approaches in zebrafish to investigate how axon pathfinding and selective degeneration lead to the formation of functional circuits in vivo. We also examine how axon degeneration contributes to the development of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or motor neuron diseases. Website: Fabienne Poulain at Research Gate |
Dr. Sofia B. Lizarraga – Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina
Interests: Neurodevelopmental disorders, neuronal connectivity and neuronal morphogenesis. Dr. Lizarraga’s research focuses on understanding the basic molecular and cellular mechanisms that affect proper neuronal circuit formation in neurodevelopmental disorders. Two major cellular processes essential for the establishment of proper neuronal connectivity during brain development are: neuronal arborization, and formation of functional synapses in response to neuronal activity. Using primarily stem cell models, we investigate common biological mechanisms underlying the pathobiology associated with autism and intellectual disability. Website: Sofia Lizarraga at Linked In |