My research interests focus on transplant immunobiology. My specific activities have involved studying the effects of immunosuppressants, particularly cyclosporine, on their molecular targets in transplant recipients. Cyclosporine inhibits the activity of the phosphatase enzyme calcineurin, which we have recently shown to be rate-limiting for lymphocyte activation. By understanding the effects of immunosuppressants in patients, we are able to design better in vitro and in vivo model systems to ask questions regarding the essential role(s) of particular molecules in immune responses, and how the drugs used to interfere with these molecules affect these responses. Our laboratory employs a variety of biochemical techniques, plus northern and Western blotting, gel mobility shift assays, reporter gene transfection as well as common in vitro and in vivo cellular immunology methods.
Biology, Cellular, Molecular/Cellular Entities, Molecular Cloning, Molecular Probes, Monoclonal Antibodies, Nephrology, Pharmacokinetics, Receptors, Recombinant DNA, Transplantation Immunology, Transplantation of Organs, Tumor Immunology, United States, USA, Midwest
