The opportunity to participate in the Institute's research programs is a central aspect of the Molecular Medicine Graduate Program. All students complete a Ph.D. dissertation based on original research. Research focuses on aspects of intracellular trafficking events in epithelial cells, smooth muscle, endocrine glands and the nervous system. Gene Regulation Led by Dr. William S. Dynan, Professor and Eminent Scholar in Molecular Biology. Research focuses on basic regulatory processes in the cell nucleus including transcription, recombination, and the response to heat and radiation damage.
Work has applications to cancer, immunology, and rheumatic disease.
Molecular Immunology Led by Dr. Andrew Mellor, Professor and Eminent Scholar in Molecular Genetics. Research focuses on the role of T lymphocytes and macrophages in regulating the immune response, with applications to autoimmune disorders, graft rejection, infectious diseases and pregnancy. Led by Dr. Robert K. Yu, Professor and Eminent Scholar. Research focuses on developmental neurobiology, including the chemistry and biology of neural stem cells and progenitor cells, glial and neuronal cell differentiation and proliferation. Considerable effort is also placed on mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders and neural regeneration and repair, as well as neurooncology.