Research Categories - Disease Mechanisms

Many HMS laboratories are exploring biological mechanisms of disease processes, applying sophisticated technologies to mechanistic and therapeutic studies. These investigations focus on a wide range of disease entities, from prevalent afflictions such as cancer, to viral diseases of epidemic proportions such as AIDS, to uncommon genetic diseases.

Related Investigators

  1. Joan Brugge, PhD

    Epithelial cell biology; mechanisms of breast and ovarian cancer development

    The biology of epithelial cells and tissues, with an emphasis on mammary gland morphogenesis and breast and ovarian cancer  

  2. Ronald Desrosiers, PhD

    HIV and AIDS: vaccine; persistent immune response

    Develop new strategies for blunting viral replication and bolstering the immune system’s ability to eradicate viral-infected T-cell reservoirs. 

  3. Daniel Finley, PhD

    Ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation and the proteasome: mechanisms and coordination; architecture; role in disease

    Study of proteasome activity and its relationship to diseases caused by proteinopathies.

  4. Jeremy Gunawardena, PhD

    Experimental and theoretical analysis of signal transduction: EGF signaling, drug efficacy, phosphorylation states, microfluidics, formalized biology language

    Investigate the dynamics of signal transduction, from a mechanistic and practical perspective. Describe at a fundamental level the input/output transformation that connects external signals to ...

  5. Jose Halperin, MD

    Targeting protein translation for anticancer therapies; CD59 and diabetes

    Employ the preclinical resources of the Laboratory for Translational Research to develop new therapies and diagnostics in oncology and diabetes

  6. Amitinder Kaur, MD

    AIDS pathogenesis and CMV opportunistic infection: SIV; vaccine; AIDS resistance

    AIDS modeling in non-human primates; reactivation of latent CMV in HIV-infected individuals; innate resistance to SIV-related disease progression.  

  7. Xuebin Qin, MD, PhD

    Immune modulation to treat cancer and viral infections

    CD59, the complement cascade, and disease    

  8. James Rowlett, PhD

    Anxiety, addiction, cognition, and sleep: pharmacotherapy, GABA receptor

    Investigate the neuropharmacological basis of psychiatric disease and addiction, employing behavioral methodologies and translational approaches.  Primary areas of research include anxiety, ...

  9. Roger Spealman, PhD

    CNS disorders: addiction; Parkinson’s disease

    Studies on the mechanisms and efficacy of psychoactive drugs  

  10. Chao-ting Wu, PhD

    Chromosomal homology, pairing, and segregation: mechanisms and implications for gene therapy, development, and human disease

    Explore mechanisms of maintaining genome integrity through the study of chromosomal homology, segregation, and pairing.