Faculty

A major goal of my laboratory is to understand the regulation of hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation and to apply this knowledge to the development of novel cellular and molecular therapeutics utilizing bone marrow stem cells. In this model, cells themselves are developed as the therapeutic agents rather than as small molecular weight pharmaceuticals.

In the Hoang lab we are interested in understanding how cells change shape and move to physically mould an embryo into it's final shape and form. We are also interested in how these mechanisms evolve and change to produce the morphological differences you see between different embryos. To study these questions we work with the model system, Drosophila melanogaster and other insects.

Philip Meneely has been working with C. elegans for more than 25 years, beginning when he was a graduate student. He currently works on genes affecting meiosis. He teaches genetics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics.

The Okeke lab studies interactions between Escherichia coli bacteria and their eukaryotic hosts. In particular, we study in the molecular basis for exceptional colonizing ability of some bacterial strains. We are also interested in the genetic basis for antimicrobial resistance.

We are interested in negative selection, a process that helps rid our immune system of autoreactive cells (in our case, T lymphocytes). Specifically, we want to understand why immature T cells die in response to T cell receptor signals and their mature descendants not only survive but divide in response to the same signal. This difference in cell fate underlies our ability to fend off infection without destroying our own cells.