Administrative Office
Phone: 706-721-0092
Fax: 706-721-0101

Medical College of Georgia

Center for Molecular Chaperone / Radiobiology
&
Cancer Virology Group

back left to right:  Anatolij Horuzsko, Nathan Yanasak, Tom Hu and Anil Cashikar
front left to right: Demetrius Moskophidis Nahid Mivechi

Nahid F. Mivechi, PhD, Director

• Molecular/biochemical/signal transduction pathways involved in regulation of heat shock transcription factors and molecular chaperones
• Understanding the function of heat shock factors and their associated factors in animal models (knockout/knockdown mice and zebrafish) of human disease

• Analysis of amyloid fiber assembly using biochemical and biophysical techniques
• Understanding the mechanism of protein disaggregation by molecular chaperones in relation to neurodegenerative diseases.

• Understanding the molecular, biochemical, and immunological functions of HLA-G and its potential use in organ transplantation in animal models of human disease
• Biology of immune receptors on dendritic and T cells that promote immunological tolerance

Thom Hu, PhD, Director of Samll Animal Imaging (primary appointment is in the Department of Radiology)

• Using non-invasive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques, the laboratory has recently shown that myocardial calcium homeostasis modulation can be detected non-invasively. This calcium homeostasis modulation is correlated with myocardial ischemic-reperfusion. Since myocardial ischemia appears to have significant negative effects both on acute and chronic cardiac remodeling and end-organs, the laboratory is interested in non-invasively evaluate pathophysiological changes in cardiovascular tissues, in order that effective prevention and treatment strategies can be implemented early on to minimize or reverse myocardial damage. The experimental approaches have two folds: (1) quantitate myocardial injury and cellular infiltration due to inflammatory processes; and (2) correlate local calcium homeostasis directly with adverse local contractile function.

• Virology/immunology of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV) and influenza virus - understanding of host/pathogen interactions
• Function of stress proteins (molecular chaperones) and the unfolded protein response in animal models of human disease

Nathan Yanasak, PhD, (primary appointment is in the Department of Radiology)

• Refinement of diffusion-weighted imaging for improved performance in
  the clinic, through the development of noise-reduction and benchmarking
  techniques.

• Application of diffusion-weighted techniques for the imaging of
  neurological disorders in both animal models and humans, especially
  stroke and multiple sclerosis.

• Use of functional MRI (fMRI) to study the impact of sickle-cell
  anemia on cognition.