Molecular Biomedicine

The Molecular Biomedicine Department focuses on a medically important family of genes that are highly regulated at the levels mRNA stability and translation and whose expression is perturbed as a result of disease.

The program employs the fields of functional genomics, RNA system biology, functional proteomics, disease system biology and molecular therapeutics to narrow down the human transcriptome and proteome to a focused manageable model of transient responses and to design molecular and pharmacological remedies to disease conditions.

Focus areas:

The Molecular Biomedicine Department gained both national and international recognition. The program focuses on family of medically important genes that contain the so-called AU-rich elements (AREs) in their messenger RNAs (mRNAs). ARE-genes code for many proteins that are critical for maintaining healthy transient reactions during the body responses such as immune response and cellular growth. Disturbances in these transient processes may lead to unwanted prolonged responses leading to disease conditions, such as chronic inflammation and cancer. The program implements laboratory studies in the area of aberrant transient responses that are found in disease conditions to pinpoint unique pathways that can be targeted for therapy.

The research program employs the fields of functional genomics, RNA system biology, functional proteomics, and molecular therapeutics to narrow down the human transcriptome and proteome to early and transient response players. We use unique tools that are specific for the study of mRNA stability and/or translation developed by the program. Our technology and research platforms are internationally recognized as attested by the publications, collaborations, and grants.

List of Sections: 
There are several sections that comprise this program, namely:
Computational Biology/Bioinformatics Unit: Provides bioinformatics support to the program by using algorithms to pinpoint the global distribution of early/transient response elements in mammalian genomes.

Molecular BioTechnology Unit: Provides unique tools & methodology in the field of functional genomics & proteomics that support the original research and technology transfer projects.

RNA System Biology Unit: Study the role of transient response pathways in health and disease through a “system Biology” approach that utilize the above tools.

Interferon and Cytokine Research Unit: Study the role of interferon and cytokine gene regulation in disease, particularly, in relation to innate Immunity, inflammation, and cancer.

Molecular Therapeutics Unit: Molecular Therapeutics Unit: To explore the potential targets and therapeutic drugs (e.g., Kinase Inhibitors) for the prevention and treatment of human disease (e.g., inflammation, cancer, infection, etc.) through cell-based and computational drug screening approaches.

List of Services:

Molecular Biomedicine Department core facilities seek to advance transformative excellence in research and innovation by:
•Supporting faculty research success. 
•Enabling particular types of research capacities, such as equipment, material, data acquisition, data analysis, consultation or expertise, and/or other services.
•Providing students with access to tools, capacities, specific training, and projects.
•Promoting diversity and inclusion in access and education to research tools and technologies.
•Cell Culture Facility
•Primary and Cell lines Culture
•Stable Cell line generation
•Transfection
•Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology
•Plasmid/DNA/RNA/Protein Extraction and their bioanalysis (western blot, gel electrophoresis)
•PCR, qPCR
•Lentivirus
•Lentivirus for shRNA expression for gene knock-down
•Lentivirus for gene overexpression
•Lentivirus for cell stable-labeling

Bio-Imaging Suite
•Life Technologies EVOS FL system equipped with life cell imaging capability
•Imaging using Image Express (Molecular Devices)
•Immunology and Flow-Cytometry Platform
Fluorescence-activated cell analysis.
Cell Analysis and Isolation from human or animal model.
The Bio-Plex 200 system is a suspension array system which offers protein and nucleic acid researchers a reliable multiplex assay solution that permits analysis of up to 100 biomolecules in a single sample.
Maxwell® RSC Instrument is a compact, automated nucleic acid purification platform that processes up to 16 samples simultaneously.
Cell Culture: Services for culture of different cell lines available in Core Lab department

Drug Discovery
•Assay Development.
•Plate readers: Fluorescence, Luminescence etc.
•Disease specific assay: Reporters, Colony Formation, Primary Cell Culture, Stable Cell line generations, etc.
•Drug screening based on available selected and focused libraries.
•Molecular modeling, virtual drug screening.

Career Opportunities
•Scientist
•Adjunct Scientist
•Postdoctoral Fellow
•Research Technician
•Hospital Assistant