Main Body
Research Areas
Molecular & Cellular Basis of Disease
- Cell Growth and Division
- All disease starts at the level of the cell. Wadsworth scientists investigate how cells communicate with one another, regulate their growth, and decide if they will proliferate, age or die. Problems in any of these interrelated areas can lead to disease, from birth defects and autoimmune disorders to cancer, diabetes and infertility. Researchers use high-resolution light and electron microscopy, molecular biology, genetics and chemistry to probe these processes. Some explore the cytoskeletal and motor machinery within cells that are responsible for movement, secretion and division, while others study hormones and chemical pathways that dictate what cells do and when. Information gleaned from such basic studies can aid in detecting diseases very early in their development, as well as in designing better drugs to ameliorate abnormal cell behaviors.
- Biomolecular Machines
- Molecular machines perform essential cellular work. These complexes of proteins and nucleic acids carry out cell replication, translate genes into functional proteins, transport macromolecules, and govern cell communication and movement. They are the primary targets of antibiotic and antiviral drugs, and are key to the development of cancer and neurological disease therapeutics. Wadsworth scientists study molecular machines using a highly interdisciplinary approach: imaging technologies to reveal structure, including cryo-electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic spectroscopy; biochemical and genetic data to identify features necessary for operation; and computational methods to predict structures and model their dynamic states.
- Cancer
- Cancer's hallmark of uncontrolled cell division serves as a framework in which to ask how cancer begins and progresses, what type of specialized cells give rise to tumors, and what opportunities exist to interrupt the process. For example, can enzymes involved in cell division be exploited to damage or kill cancer cells without harming normal cells? Wadsworth scientists study the origins of cancer cells and the mechanisms by which these cells evade chemotherapy, and consider how these same biological pathways might be co-opted to improve treatment. Also investigated are disease susceptibility and drug resistance; novel methods for early detection, particularly of tobacco-induced lung cancer; and the structure and function of enzymes involved in the defense against carcinogens and the metabolism of chemotherapeutic agents.
- Neurobiology
- An understanding of fundamental neurobiological processes underlies the development of new or better means of restoring function lost to neurological trauma or disease. At Wadsworth, such efforts range from using experimental models to study novel therapies for Parkinson's disease, to testing devices that can supplement or circumvent damaged neurons. Scientists use neurochemistry, cell biology and 3-D cell and tissue analysis to optimize function of nano-fabricated brain implants that treat neurological disorders. Another approach employs sophisticated software to translate the brain's electrical activity into control of a computer cursor or robotic arm. The nervous system's remarkable capacity to reconstruct circuits and synapses after injury also is explored for its potential to evaluate spinal cord injuries and possibly aid in their recovery.