Research
Research groups in the Department of Pathology maintain research projects in many diverse areas. Among these projects are both basic and clinical research programs that address a wide array of human health issues.
In the area of lymphocyte biology, Drs. Antony Bakke, Rita Braziel, Qing Chen, Guang Fan, and James Huang have made several major breakthroughs in the past year. Dr. Bakke has shown that disease progression in HIV and HCV infection can be predicted based on CD38 antigen expression. Dr. Braziel, in collaboration with Affymetrix, is developing a diagnostic lymphochip for gene expression analysis in malignant lymphomas. Dr. Chen has develped an important experimental system, a knock-in mouse containing an immunoglobulin heavy chain natural autoantibody, to study the mechanisms of autoimmune diseases. Drs. Fan and Huang have identified new therapeutic targets for lymphoma and leukemia, particularly the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase as a potential therapeutic target in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
In the area of thrombosis and hemostasis, Drs. Lynn Boshkov and David Farrell have ongoing research projects that have also lead to unexpected new findings. Dr. Farrell has identified a new risk factor for coronary artery disease, a minor isoform of the coagulation factor fibrinogen, that may explain the occurrence of the disease in the absense of well-known factors. Dr. Boshkov is one of three lead investigators in a national multicenter study on the use of the anticoagulant Argatroban in neonates and young children.
In the area of neurobiology, Drs. Marjorie Grafe, and Douglas Weeks have made several exciting discoveries. Drs. Nixon and Weeks discovered a rare and morphologically striking variant of nemaline rod myopathy. Dr. Grafe has characterized pathologic changes in brain tissue caused by ischemia.
In the area of tumor biology, Drs. Christopher Corless and William Rodgers have been key players in major clinical studies. Dr. Rodgers was named Chairman of the Pathology Committee for the GOG171 clinical trial on the use of CAIX and p16 expression markers in cervical cancer. Dr. Corless was involved in several high-profile studies on the use of Gleevev for GIST, particularly studies that identified genetic mutations that predict the sensitivity of tumors to Gleevec.
In total, research in the Department of Pathology is quite broad, and covers a wide range of problems that contribute to human disease.