Research Opportunities

The Molecular Medicine Program is organized around clusters of research laboratories, each cluster centered on a common disease or biomedical theme.  A distinguishing feature of the Molecular Medicine Graduate Program is a paradigm of the vertically integrated study of individual human diseases using approaches ranging from  basic research through translation to the clinic.  Our faculty hold degrees in more than a dozen disciplines and are drawn from many departments and centers, including the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, the Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine, and the Synapses and Cognitive Neuroscience Center.  Some are practicing physicians familiar with frontline challenges of clinical medicine; others are experts in molecular and computational approaches.  Five faculty hold prestigious endowed chairs as Eminent Scholars of the Georgia Research Alliance.

Programmatic Areas

Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine
Dr. Jin-Xiong She, Professor and Eminent Scholar in Genomic Medicine, directs this cluster, which focuses on approaches using genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics, with applications to diabetes, autoimmunity, cancer and other complex diseases.

Developmental Neurobiology
Research in this cluster, led by Dr. Lin Mei, Professor and Eminent Scholar in Neuroscience, focuses on developmental neurobiology, including the chemistry and biology of neural stem cells and progenitor cells and glial and neuronal cell differentiation and proliferation.  Considerable effort is also expended on mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders and neural regeneration and repair, as well as neuro-oncology.

Cancer Biology and Gene Regulation
Dr. William S. Dynan, Professor and Eminent Scholar in Molecular Biology, directs this cluster, which focuses on basic regulatory processes in the cell nucleus including transcription, maintenance of genome stability and the response to radiation damage.  This work has application to cancer and genetic disorders.

Molecular Chaperone Biology & Radiobiology
Research in this cluster, led by Dr. Nahid Mivechi, Associate Professor, focuses on the study of effects of environmental stresses (fever, radiation, chemicals, viral infections and pregnancy) on the host using animal models of human disease.

Immunotherapy Center
Dr. Andrew Mellor, Professor and Eminent Scholar in Molecular Genetics, directs this cluster, which focuses on the role of T lymphocytes and macrophages in regulating the immune response, with applications to autoimmune disorders, graft rejection, and infectious diseases.

Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Carlos Isales, Professor, leads this cluster, which focuses on the study of the mechanical, hormonal, and biological interactions between soft and hard tissues.  Understanding the role of these processes in promoting tissue healing and regeneration will facilitate the goal of using stem cell technology to surgically replace aging or damaged tissue in human patients.

For a detailed description of current faculty research and references to recent publications, visit our faculty profiles.