Basic Research

Applied Research

Basic Research

My long-term goal is to become a pediatric critical care physician-scientist, a translational researcher committed to eliminate complications from advanced technology used to support critically ill children. My current emphasis is to focus on the pathophysiological basis of the untoward effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) devices on blood components. The Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) will provide me with time to gather skills and knowledge as a necessary steps toward becoming an established, independent investigator.

Activation of the oncogene MYC is a frequent event in multiple myeloma (MM) that contributes to refractory/high-risk disease and is therefore an attractive therapeutic target. We previously demonstrated that a novel reovirus formulation for cancer therapy called Reolysin is a promising new agent for patients with MM as it exhibits significant activity in cell lines, primary patient cells, and mouse models of the disease. However, the mechanisms that mediate reovirus sensitivity in MM cells are not well understood.

Basic Research

Oxidative stress causes mitochondrial dysfunction in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the molecular mechanisms underlying the cause remain poorly elucidated. Cardiolipin (CL) is a mitochondrial membrane phospholipid required for oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial biogenesis. The biological function of CL is determined by its acyl composition, which is dominated by linoleic acid in healthy metabolic tissues.

Fundamental knowledge of the periodontium is required to develop new approaches to understand and treat this major health problem. This project is directed at understanding the role and mechanism of the Bmp2 gene and Sost gene in periodontium function. Our recent published results indicate that the mouse Bmp2 gene in stem-progenitor cells in the periodontium is required for the development of the periodontium and formation of tooth root.