Can novel drug targets be identified to slow the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysms? Is a stimulated renin-angiotensin system the link between obesity and the myriad of obesity-induced cardiovascular diseases, or the development of type 2 diabetes? Do specific bioactive lipids released from platelets and/or the myocardium following myocardial infarction influence platelet function? These are some of the clinically significant pharmacologic questions addressed by researchers within the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences.
The cancer faculty in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences are interested in studying the molecular basis of cancer initiation and metastatic progression. This involves using molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, and in vivo animal models to unravel novel signaling pathways in an effort to uncover new drug targets for treating cancer. The faculty also are attempting to understand why cancer cells develop drug resistance, a common problem in cancer treatment, and are working on identifying drugs that combat resistance.
The neuroscience faculty of the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences focuses on brain aging and Alzheimer鈥檚 disease with an emphasis on how comorbid conditions/diseases (diabetes, stress, lack of sleep, obesity, stroke, age-related hormone loss) affect the aging progress. Other key areas of interest are in drug/alcohol abuse and the factors influencing addiction-related disease states, as well as in Down syndrome research and factors influencing brain inflammation status.
