First name,Last name,Preferred title,Overview,Position,Department,Individual
Karl,Aufderheide,Emeritus Associate Professor,"Cell/Developmental Biology. Developmental Genetics. Intracellular differentiation of eukaryotes, especially ciliates. General interests in: intracellular pattern formation and morphogenesis; molecular aspects of gene expression in ciliate protozoa; development of organelles, including intracellular motility and organelle localization. Specific interests in: signal transduction, regulation of cytoskeletal organization, and motility in the social amoeba Dictyostelium; organization, patterning and morphogenesis of surface-related cytoskeletal and membranous structures of ciliates, especially Paramecium; applications of laser optical force trap technology to developmental problems in Paramecium tetraurelia and Tetrahymena thermophila; 2 molecular aspects of serotype gene expression in P. tetraurelia; development of exocytotic organelles (the trichocysts) in P. tetraurelia. General approach involves use of classical and modern light and electron microscopic techniques, integrated with genetic, molecular, mechanical or physiological manipulations of the cells.",Associate Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n3ed65e09
Jennifer,Dulin,Assistant Professor,"My research focuses on identifying novel cellular and molecular approaches to reconstruct spinal cord neural circuits and restore neurological function after spinal cord injury. We seek to answer fundamental biological questions about how transplanted neural progenitor cells interact with, and integrate into, the injured host nervous system. Our long-term goal is to generate knowledge that will be applied toward the engineering of therapeutically effective human cell therapies.",Assistant Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n97940050
Shogo,Sato,Assistant Professor,"Dr. Sato has a broad research background in circadian biology combined with growing knowledge in biochemistry, epigenetics, and metabolism. Especially during his second postdoctoral career in the laboratory of the late Paolo Sassone-Corsi at UCI, he has been tackling the question of how the circadian clock links to metabolic functions. Dr. Sato demonstrated the circadian control of metabolic pathways is reprogramed by aging, which is rescued by caloric restriction (Sato et al., Cell 2017). More recently, Dr. Sato investigated the time-dependent impact of exercise, revealing exercise at the early active phase (fasted phase) exerts robust metabolic responses in skeletal muscle (Sato et al., Cell Metab 2019) and illustrating the atlas of exercise metabolism unique to different exercise timing (Sato et al., Cell under revision). Lastly, Dr. Sato discovered a novel non-canonical role played by the circadian clock specific to pluripotent stem cells (Sato et al., in preparation). Taken together, his past/ongoing studies contribute to the accumulation of evidence underscoring a healthy lifestyle relied on biological clocks.
The goals of Sato lab will be to 1) achieve a fundamental understanding of the intertwined link between metabolism, epigenetics, and the circadian clock, and 2) establish translational interventions targeting the circadian clock system to promote human health by using molecular, biochemical, physiological, and bioinformatics approaches.",Assistant Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n9dce7c6b
Rita,Moyes,Instructional Associate Professor,"he immune system is a defense mechanism that has evolved in vertebrates to protect them from invading pathogens and cancer. The study of the immune system in the context of host - parasite interactions has been the focus of my studies. Generation of an effective immune response involves two major cell types: lymphocytes and antigen presenting cells. Lymphocytes confer the attributes of specificity, diversity, memory, self/nonself recognition to the immune system. Lymphocytes can be divided into two cell types: B cells which are responsible for antibody production and T cells which elaborate cytokines. Cytokines are proteins that regulate the intensity and duration of the immune response by exerting a variety of effects on lymphocytes and other immune cells. This complex network of cells and cell products have numerous mechanisms yet to be characterized.
I am currently involved in the production of monoclonal antibodies to various proteins of interest in the research of the Biology faculty. Using the chicken model, my recent research has focused on the identification and characterization of various cytokines which potentiate the innate immune responses of poultry that effectively prevent organ invasion by Salmonella. Previous studies have involved the use of a mouse tumor model to evaluate various cytokine treatments for tumor reduction. The goal was to reduce cytokine toxicity which is seen with large doses while effectively reducing tumor growth.
I have also studied the human T cell response to Schistosoma mansoni, an intestinal parasite, by utilizing human T cell clones.",Instructional Associate Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/ndc57e124
Darrell,Pilling,Research Assistant Professor,,Research Assistant Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/ne8a9ecc1
Richard,Gomer,Distinguished Professor,"Our laboratory is working on three areas of biomedicine, trying to move observations from basic research into the clinic. First, we are studying how the sizes of tissues and tumors are regulated, and how this can be manipulated for therapeutic purposes. As a model system, we are using the simple eukaryote Dictyostelium discoideum, which allows us to combine techniques such as biochemistry, genetics, computer modeling, and cell biology to study tissue size regulation. We have found that a secreted protein as well as the unusual molecule polyphosphate are signals in negative feedback loops that inhibit Dictyostelium cell proliferation, and we are studying the signal transduction pathway to understand similar mechanisms in humans.
Second, we are studying how some secreted proteins can make cells move away from the source of the signal. We found such a signal (called a chemorepellent) in Dictyostelium, and then found a similar signal in humans. We are working to understand the signal transduction pathway for both. The human signal repels neutrophils, and we found that this can be used therapeutically in mouse models of neutrophil-driven diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Third, we have found that a human blood protein called Serum Amyloid P (SAP) regulates a key step in the formation of scar tissue as well as the formation of the scar-like lesions in fibrosing diseases such as congestive heart failure and pulmonary fibrosis. We are studying this mechanism, and a biotech company (Promedior, now sold to Roche) we co-founded is testing SAP as a therapy for fibrosis in patients in a Phase 3 trials.",Distinguished Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nf41f3898
Uel,Mcmahan,Professor,"McMahan and his research group provide one of the cornerstones for Texas A&M's new Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building and its related teaching and research efforts. His work focuses on how the nervous system's synapses form in the embryo and function in the adult in various animal species. It relies on high-resolution imaging, chemical characterization and experimental manipulation of specific macromolecules and organelles, which altogether provide insights unobtainable via any other approach. The findings bear directly on the problems of understanding the molecular basis of human brain diseases and restoring brain function after trauma.",Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nfc3672e7