Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology

Box G-B393, Providence, RI 02912
Phone: (401) 863-1596

The Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology (MPPB) supports undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral education by providing a highly interdisciplinary framework for individual and thematic training programs within both classical and newly emerging areas in the biomedical sciences. The department's overall mission is to discover new biological knowledge and to apply the insights gained from basic science studies to further advance therapeutic strategies. What separates our group and makes these objectives more concrete and tangible is that we draw on a distinguished group of faculty with extensive experience in the biotechnology and biomedical device industry. Our faculty's research interests range from molecules to cells, tissue, organs, and whole organisms, and are grounded in a solid base of chemistry, physics, math and biology. Specialty areas of study include: molecular and structural pharmacology; signal transduction; drug design; neuropharmacology and neurophysiology; the molecular and cellular basis for drug addiction; macromolecular structure; cellular, comparative, and organ systems physiology; biomaterials; novel drug delivery modalities; organ replacement, tissue engineering, gene therapy, and regenerative medicine.

Courses Offered*

Faculty - Who We Are and What We Do

Wayne Bowen, PhD, Professor, Department Chair. Pharmacology and medicinal chemistry of sigma receptors and opioid receptors; signal transduction mechanisms in receptor-mediated apoptosis and regulation of cell proliferation.

Eric Darling, PhD, Assistant Professor. Understand the relationship between micro/nano-scale mechanics and the biological function of cells and tissues. Improve cell-based therapies that can be translated to clinical applications.

Moses Goddard, MD, Adjunct Associate Professor (Research).

Chi-Ming Hai, PhD, Professor. Airway smooth muscle mechanics, cell biology, and cell physiology.

Edward Hawrot, PhD, Professor. Structure-function of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor; site-directed mutagenesis of protein neurotoxins.

Diane Hoffman-Kim, PhD, Associate Professor. Nerve regeneration, tissue engineering, biomaterials, neurotechnology and cell-material interactions.

Donald Jackson, PhD, Professor Emeritus.

Leon Goldstein, PhD, Professor Emeritus.

Julie Kauer, PhD, Professor. Focus on long-lasting changes in the central nervous system, in particular during learning and drug addiction. Morphine stops the synapse-strengthening process in the brain known as long-term potentiation at inhibitory synapses.

John Marshall, PhD, Professor. Modulation of glutamate receptor and calcium channel function; signal transduction pathways regulating neuronal survival.

Edith Mathiowitz, PhD, Professor. Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of biopolymers as drug and gene delivery systems; microencapsulation; bioadhesion; polymeric liquid crystals; vascular graft.

Jeffrey Morgan, PhD, Associate Professor. Tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, self-assembly of 3D microtissues, percutaneous devices and skin tissue engineering.

Elena Oancea, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medical Science. Understanding signal transduction events using fluorescent microcopy in living cells.

Wolfgang Peti, Assistant Professor. Structure, dynamics and interactions of proteins using NMR spectroscopy.

Andrea Jeanne Sobieraj, Senior Teaching Associate and Manager, Physiology Courses.

Beth Anne Zielinski, Lecturer.

Anita Zimmerman, PhD, Professor. Molecular mechanisms of ion channel function and visual transduction; potential therapeutic agents for retinal degenerative diseases

Recent Student Projects

• The fabrication and characterization of Insulin loaded PIN microspheres for an oral drug delivery system for Type I diabetics.
• Respiration and locomotion in the Painted Turtle.
• The importance of Red Cells in western Painted Turtles overwintering in Aerated water.
• Synaptic plasticity in the Hippocampus of Kockout mice lacking in the protein Tyrosine phosphatase IB.
• Regulation of Focal Adhesions by receptor activation in endothelial and smooth muscle cells.
• Mechanosensitive modulation of contractile protein gene expression in bovine airway smooth muscle cells.
• Design of biodegradable 3-dimensional protein-releasing scaffolds for use in tissue engineering applications.
• Encapsulation and in vitro characterization of human fibroblasts genetically modified to over express human insulin-like growth factor-1.
• Nerve growth on biomimetic nerve guidance channels.
• Schwann cell bridging is directed by selective coating of permissive and inhibitory molecular cues in topographically complex environments.
• Cellular topography directs neurite outgrowth.
• Growth and release kinetics of genetically modified fibroblasts encapsulated in Alginate beads and grown in multiple serum conditions.
• The effect of ROCK inhibitor on neurite extension and cell adhesion of dorsal root ganglion cells over multimolecular gradients.
• Design of a novel analytical anoikis assay using non-adhesive micromolded hydrogel technology.
• Development of a bioactivity assay for TGF-beta from encapsulated genetically modified cells for delivery of orthopaedically relevant growth factors.
• Developing assays to test drug delivery of encapsulated growth factors to regenerate compromised collagen tissue.
• Targeting rod ion channels in the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases.
• Sodium citrate as an ergogenic buffer for swimmers: The effects of oral ingestion of sodium citrate (.3g/Kg) on Performance, perceived effort and lactate.
• Antimicrobial properties of bioactive silver by delivery via novel metal-polymer hybrid surface coatings.
• A survey on the role of Gi proteins and Gab1 in single-pass transmembrane receptor signalling.
• Transient long-term potentiation in the Rat Hippocampus.

Office of Biology Undergraduate Affairs
97 Waterman Street, Room 124
Phone: (401) 863-3814
Fax: (401) 863-7411
Email: Marjorie_Thompson@brown.edu