Clinical Faculty

Profiles

Weiss Research Professor (with tenure)

Professor, Department of Neurology

Professor, Department of Graduate Studies

Office Phone: (706) 721-5148

Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, 1999-2004
Associate Professor, Institute of Molecular Medicine & Genetics; Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, 2004-2008
Weiss Research Professor, Institute of Molecular Medicine & Genetics; Neurology, Medical College of Georgia

Cell adhesion and migration are involved in the development and function of almost every organ. Neurons migrate and extend axons and dendrites to build the nerve network in the brain. Osteoclasts attach to the bone matrix to absorb and remodel bones. Cancer cells migrate to cause tumor metastasis. These processes require cell adhesion and migration and involve cytoskeleton reorganization. Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) activates various signaling pathways and ultimately leads to actin cytoskeleton reorganization. We are interested in the molecular mechanisms of how actin cytoskeleton is regulated by the ECM by using a combination of biochemical ( in vitro), cell biological (in culture), and genetic mutant animal (in vivo, including rodents, chicken, and zebrafish animals) studies.

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Microbiology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, 199
Ph.D., Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 1994
M.S., Neuropharmacology; University of Arizona, Tuscon, Arizona, 1989
Diploma of Medicine (M.D.), The Third Military Medical University, Chongqin, China, 1984

The Team