Faulty Research Interests
Islam U. Khan, Ph.D.
Regulation of T Cell Activation in Health and Disease
Dr. Khan's research interests include the study of mechanisms by which the type I protein kinase Isoenzyme regulates functions of different T cell plasma membrane-associated proteins by phosphorylation. He is also studying the molecular basis of defective expression of regulatory subunits of type I kinase A in lupus T cells.
Dama Laxminarayana, Ph.D.
Expression and Regulation of Genes in Health and Autoimmunity
Dr. Laxminarayana has been studying signal transduction and gene regulation in human T lymphocytes. His research interests include mechanisms involved in activation of protein kinase A during T cell receptor mediated signaling. He is interested in the role of non-receptor tyrosine kinases and protein kinase C in regulation of interleukin-2 and PKA genes during T cell activation. His studies are also directed to characterize structural and functional defects in PKA genes of SLE patients.
Nilamadhav Mishra, M.D.
Dr Mishra’s research interests include epigenetics, chromatin remodeling, transcriptional regulation, gene expression and identifying therapeutic targets by proteomics in lupus
Loeser, Richard, M.D.
Dr. Loeser’s research interests include the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate cartilage destruction in osteoarthritis and the role of aging. His clinical interests lie in the genetics of osteoarthritis; exercise and weight loss interventions for osteoarthritis.
Kenneth S. O'Rourke, M.D.
Myopathies, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Geriatric Rheumatology
Dr. O'Rourke's clinical interests are in general rheumatology as well as in the treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and myopathies. During his fellowship he obtained expertise in various interventional skills including arthroscopy, needle muscle biopsy, minor salivary gland biopsy, and tidal joint irrigation. His research interests include the development of arthroscopy as a clinical and research tool for the rheumatologist, the development of protocols for the treatment of severe knee disease in inflammatory arthritides and the role of needle biopsy in the evaluation of inflammatory myopathies, and the development of combined fellowship training programs in rheumatology and geriatrics.
Peter A Velen, M.D.
Myopathies, Rheumatoid Arthritis
P. Reidar Wallin, Ph.D.
Vitamin K, Vitamin K-Dependent Proteins and Warfarin Metabolism and Function
Dr. Wallin's research is focused in the area of Vitamin K and vitamin K metabolism. Coumadin, a widely used anticoagulant, is an antagonist to vitamin K. This fat-soluble vitamin is essential for hepatic biosynthesis of certain coagulation factors and also six to eight extrahepatic proteins. Two of these proteins, osteocalcin and matrix G1a protein, are present in bone and matrix. G1a protein is also present in cartilage. D. Wallin's laboratory has developed a system to study the molecular mechanisms of Coumadin action. He is currently isolating the Coumadin-sensitive enzyme present in the vitamin K cycle with the goal of achieving a better design for anticoagulant drugs and to reveal the molecular cause of Coumadin resistance.