Molecular Biology
About
Research in Molecular Biology at UVA employs a variety of techniques to identify and characterize molecular interactions and determine how such interactions are regulated.Regardless of whether a research lab focuses on biological problems at the organismal, cellular, biochemical, biophysical or structural level, the discipline of molecular biology likely plays an integral role. The techniques of molecular biology include manipulation of DNA (including cloning and PCR), gel electrophoresis, immunoprecipitation, and various types of hybridization techniques (including “blots”) to detect DNA, RNA or protein.
At the University of Virginia, graduate students in the majority of our research labs employ molecular biological approaches to address problems that span the full range of modern biological inquiry. We seek graduate students with a passionate interest in exploiting any and all avenues to discover answers to the most important biological problems.
Since molecular biology impacts virtually all aspects of biological research, training in this discipline helps provide our students with the foundation needed for successful careers in academia and industry.
Faculty
Abbas, Tarek A.
The Ubiquitin System and Human Cancer
Agaisse, Hervé
Genetic approaches, cellular and molecular biology of intracellular pathogen infection
Ai, Huiwang
Molecular Biosensors; Spatiotemporal Regulation of Biological Signaling; Protein Engineering for Imaging, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics
Auble, David T.
Molecular Mechanisms of Transcriptional Regulation
Barrett, Paula Q.
Regulation of low-voltage activated T-type Ca2+ channel activity by kinases and heterotrimeric G-proteins and their roles in physiological responses.
Beenhakker, Mark P.
Circuit mechanisms of sleep and epilepsy
Bekiranov, Stefan
Physical Modeling of Microarray Hybridization; Analysis of Genomic Tiling Array Data; Bioinformatics; Computational Biology; Regulatory Networks
Bielinsky, Anja Katrin
Genome instability syndromes in cancer and immune deficiencies
Bland, Michelle
Molecular mechanisms linking innate immune and insulin signaling to control cell growth and metabolism
Bochkis, Irina
Epigenetic and genetic mechanisms underlying metabolic disease
Bouton, Amy H.
Signaling Pathways and Breast Cancer
Caliari, Steven
Engineering biomaterials as cellular microenvironments
Chalfant, Charles Edward
Hematology and Oncology, Cell Biology, Lipid Signaling, Cancer Cell Signaling, and RNA Biology
Connelly, Jessica J.
Epigenetic mechanisms involved in complex human disease
Coutinho-Budd, Jaeda
Neuron-glia and glial-glial interactions
Cross, Janet V.
Contribution of the Inflammatory Microenvironment to Tumor Initiation, Progression and Metastasis; Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer Chemoprevention
Deppmann, Christopher
Elucidating and Understanding the Mechanisms Underlying Nervous System Development
Derewenda, Zygmunt S.
Structure-function relationships in proteins
Derré, Isabelle
Host/pathogen Interaction - Chlamydia Infection
Dolatshahi, Sepideh
Systems Immunology, Cancer Systems Biology, , Neonatal and Maternal Immunology
Dwyer, Noelle
Neural Development; Cell Division in Neural Stem Cells; Axon Outgrowth and Guidance
Elliott, Michael R.
Macrophage effector functions in inflammation and immunotherapy
Engel, Daniel A.
Drug Discovery and Molecular Biology of Pathogenic RNA viruses: Ebola, SARS-CoV-2, Influenza and Zika
Ewald, Sarah
Innate immunity, chronic disease, host-parasite interactions, Toxoplasma gondii, proteomics
Farber, Charles R.
Systems Genetics of Skeletal Development and Maintenance
Felder, Robin A.
Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology. Medical Automation Research. Neurotransmitters, cell surface receptors and intracellular second messengers.
Gahlmann, Andreas
Super-resolution fluorescence imaging of bacterial cells
Garcia-Blanco, Mariano A.
RNA-protein interactions in antiviral immunity and autoimmune diseases.
Garrett-Bakelman, Francine
Acute Myeloid Leukemia: molecular and cellular biology events which mediate aberrant epigenetic and transcriptional mechanisms during disease establishment and progression
Gelfand, Bradley
Blinding disease age-related macular degeneration, utilizing the tools of immunology, molecular biology, and engineering.
Gioeli, Daniel
Signal transduction in cancer cells
Goldfarb, Adam N.
Hematopathology and Understanding the Molecular Basis of Hematopoiesis and Leukemogenesis
Grainger, Robert M.
Molecular embryology--gene regulation in cells committed to specific developmental lineages
Guler, Ali D.
Circadian entrainment for the treatment of metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases
Guo, Lian-Wang
Pathophysiological mechanisms and impact of cell state transitions
Halme, Adrian J.
Regeneration and Systemic Responses to Tissue Damage
Harris, Thurl E
Molecular mechanisms controlling insulin signaling and fat synthesis.
Janes, Kevin A.
Systems-biology approaches to cancer biology and virology.
Jiang, Hao
Regulation of stem cell function and tumorigenesis by epigenetics and biomolecular condensation (phase separation)
Jomaa, Ahmad
Localisation of nascent proteins to sub-cellular compartments
Kashatus, David F
The Role of Mitochondrial Fusion and Fission in Tumorigenesis.
Keller, Raymond E.
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of morphogenesis
Keller, Susanna R.
Insulin signaling, insulin-regulated membrane trafficking and associated changes in cellular function and whole body physiology
Kendall, Melissa M.
Bacterial cell signaling, host-pathogen interactions, intestinal pathogens
Kucenas, Sarah C.
The role of glia in the development, maintenance and regeneration of the nervous system
Laubach, Victor E.
Understanding mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury after lung transplantation to identifying therapeutic targets.
Leitinger, Norbert
Role of lipid oxidation products in inflammation and vascular immunology in atherosclerosis and diabetes
Li, Hui
Gene regulation in cancer, RNA processing; Epigenetic modification; Stem cell and development
Loughran, Jr., Thomas P
Hematologic malignancies; bone marrow disorders; leukemia; large granular lymphocyte (LGL)
Lu, Xiaowei
Wnt/PCP signaling in inner ear development Mouse models for human deafness Wnt/PCP signaling in neural tube closure
Lukens, John R.
Understanding How Immunological Pathways Contribute to Neurodegenerative, Neurodevelopmental, Mental and Behavior Disorders
Mahadevan, Mani S.
Molecular Mechanisms of Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy
Mayo, Marty W.
Transcriptional Regulation by NFKB
McNamara, Coleen A.
Immune System Regulation of Cardiometabolic Disease
Miller, Clint L.
Genetic variation, Complex diseases, Coronary artery disease, Genomics, Epigenomics, Regulatory mechanisms, Vascular biology, Pharmacology and Physiology
Mohi, Golam
Cell signaling, stem cell biology, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of blood and breast cancers
Naegle, Kristen
Regulation and function of tyrosine phosphorylation in complex networks
O’Rourke, Eyleen Jorgelina
Obesity and Aging
Pani, Ariel
Investigating the cell-biological foundations of development
Peirce-Cottler, Shayn M.
Tissue Engineering and Regeneration, Computational Systems Biology, Vascular Growth and Remodeling, Stem Cell Therapies
Pemberton, Lucy F.
Nuclear Transport in Chromatin Assembly and Transcriptional Regulation
Pornillos, Owen
Structure and assembly of HIV, virus/host interactions, structural biology of the innate immune system
Ramakrishnan, Girija
Microbial Pathogenesis
Redemann, Stefanie
Chromosome segregation and aneuploidy in meiosis and mitosis
Rekosh, David M.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Gene Expression; Human Endogenous Viruses; SARS-CoV-2 Protein Trafficking; Post-transcriptional Gene Regulation
Schulman, Ira G.
Regulation of transcription by nuclear hormone receptors, transcriptional control of metabolism and inflammation, small molecule approaches to drug discovery
Sheynkman, Gloria M.
Proteoform Systems Biology: proteogenomic approaches to uncover the role of proteomic variation in human disease
Shi, Weibin
Molecular and genetic determinants of atherosclerosis and cardiometabolic disorders.
Shin, Jung-Bum
Auditory Neurobiology
Siegrist, Sarah
Regulation of neural stem cell proliferation during development and adulthood
Smith, Jeffrey S.
Transcriptional Silencing and Aging in Yeast
Sontheimer, Harald
Role of Glia in Neurological Illnesses and Cancer
Stukenberg, P. Todd
Mechanisms of chromosome segregation in Mitosis and generation of Chromosomal Instability in tumors
Swiatecka-Urban, Agnieszka
Regulation of cell-surface stability and intracellular trafficking of membrane proteins in epithelial cells
Tamm, Lukas K.
Biomembrane Structure and Function; Cell Entry of Enveloped Viruses; Neurosecretion by Exocytosis; Structure of Bacterial Pathogen Membrane Proteins; Lipid-Protein Interactions
Trinh, Bon Q
Understanding Protein and RNA regulations of gene expression via chromatin structure in myeloid cell development and diseases
Tsihlis, Nick
Vascular Biology, Nanotechnology, Biomaterials, Drug Delivery
Vande Pol, Scott B.
How Viruses, Particularly Papillomaviruses, Can Cause Cancer
Wang, Yuh-Hwa
Genome instability in cancer and repeat expansion diseases
Woodfolk, Judith A.
The immune response to common cold and allergens in health and disease.
Wotton, David
Regulation of Gene Expression, Development and Tumor Progression by TGF beta Signaling
Yeager, Mark
Cardiac Gap Junction Membrane Channels / Integrins Water Channels / Rotavirus / Reovirus / Retrovirus
Zeichner, Steven L.
Pathogenesis of infectious diseases and the development of new therapies and vaccines for infectious diseases and cancers.
Zhu, J. Julius
Neural Circuits in Healthy and Diseased Brains
Zimmer, Jochen
Transport of biopolymers across biological membranes with a particular interest in polysaccharide and protein translocation.