Research Areas of Expertise
David Brand, PhD
Dr. D. Brand's research is focused on the biology of the regulatory T cell. He is studying its role in the maintenance of immune tolerance and its potential as a therapeutic modality in the treatment of autoimmune disease.
Monica Brown, DO (Department of Pediatrics)
Dr. M. Brown's current research is focused on understanding the role of cytokines, collagen and metalloproteinase in scleroderma (both juvenile and adults), and understand the role of T cells in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA).
Weikuan Gu, PhD (Department of Orthopaedic Surgery)
Dr. W. Gu's current research is focused on identification of genetic and genomic bases of human diseases using animal models and how to improve therapeutic treatment of diseases based on personalized genomics. Dr. Gu's laboratory also service as a DNA Discovery Core for analysis of gene expression and SNP using Illumina and Affymetrix platforms.
Karen Hasty, PhD (Department of Orthopaedic Surgery)
Dr. K. Hasty's research is focused on matrix metalloproteinases, a group of enzymes which normally function to degrade extracellular matrices in the body allowing remodeling, but aberrantly in scleroderma where very little expression is seen or diseases where excessive amounts are present such as rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, cardiac myopathy and degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA), osteoporosis and intervertebral disc disease. She is also working with targeted nanosomes as a theragnostic tool to diagnose and treat autoimmune and degenerative arthritis.
Andrew Kang, MD (Professor Emeritus)
Dr. A. Kang is the original discoverer of an animal model of autoimmune arthritis known as collagen arthritis. This discovery stimulated extensive research leading to the development of biotherapeutic agents that are currently in use. His current NIH funded research is directed at developing highly specific immunotherapies for autoimmune arthritis.
Wei Li, PhD (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Dr. W. Li's current research focuses on 1) small molecular drug design; and 2) NMR based bioanalytical sciences.
Duane Miller, PhD (Professor Emeritus, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Dr. D. Miller's research interests include the design and synthesis of new drug molecules. He has a strong interest in stereochemical aspects of drug molecules and developing drugs for new areas in which we currently lack therapeutic agents or in areas in which we need to develop new drugs with fewer side effects.
Linda Myers, MD (Department of Pediatrics)
Dr. L. Myers has an active research program involving the type II collagen-induced animal model of autoimmune arthritis. Specifically the research has involved identification of the T cell epitopes important in regulation of the disease and elucidation of ways in which arthritis can be modulated by tolerance.
Arnold Postlethwaite, MD
Dr. A. Postlethwaite’s current research is focused on immune and antifibrotic effects of novel noncalcemic vitamin D analogs, a Phase I Clinical trial of type II collagen based altered peptide ligand to treat RA, how chronic interrupted sleep enhances autoimmune arthritis, and what cytokines effect platelet abnormalities of SSc.
Rajendra Raghow, PhD (Division of Pharmacology)
Dr. R. Raghow's research involves study of the Msx family of genes, represented by Msx1, Msx2 and Msx3 in the mouse genome, encodes homeodomain (HD)-containing transcription factors. His research also examines the role of an important regulatory protein, SREBP-1c in the response of the liver to high insulin levels.
Edward Rosloniec, PhD
Dr. E. Rosloniec is an immunologist and studies the cellular and molecular basis for autoimmunity. His current focus is the structure and function of HLA molecules associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis and function of the T cells that are stimulated by these MHC molecules.
Richard Smith, PhD (Department of Orthopaedic Surgery)
Dr. R. Smith's current research interests include biocompatibility of polymers and metals (in vitro and in vivo) cellular responses to biomaterials, wound healing and bone healing responses. Other research interest includes the link between osteoporosis and congestive heart failure.
John Stuart, MD
Dr. J. Stuart's research primarily focuses on mouse models of arthritis using collagen-induced arthritis, Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist spontaneous arthritis, and others. These models are used to identify important pathways involved in the development of arthritis and what the genetic mechanisms are that regulate them. He is also interested in how these models relate to rheumatoid arthritis in humans.