Dr. Darrin R. Akins

Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (Ph.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, 1995). Functional genomics and proteomics of pathogenic microorganisms, with a focus on the spirochete that causes Lyme disease and the potential bioterror agent Francisella tularensis; e-mail: darrin-akins@ouhsc.edu. His research employs state-of-the-art methodologies for identifying and characterizing genes and proteins that are important in causing human disease. He is interested in using global gene profile analyses to identify subsets of genes that cause disease during the infectious process. The long-term objective of his research is to generate new vaccines and disease modulating therapeutics for microbial diseases. http://w3.ouhsc.edu/mi/faculty/akins.html

Dr. Ira J. Blader

Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham at Alabama, 1999). Functional genomic analysis of the interaction between the Apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii and its host. Email: iblader@ouhsc.edu. His research utilizes DNA microarrays to identify host genes and pathways that are differentially regulated during infection. There are two primary objectives of this research. First, he is identifying the parasite molecules necessary to modulate host gene expression and their role in pathogenesis. Second, he is determining which of the modulated host genes and pathways are necessary to protect the host from infection ("pro-host") and those that are required by the parasite for its growth ("pro-parasite"). He is also interested in developing and applying algorithms to microarray data in order to identify regulatory transcriptional elements commonly regulated during infection.

Dr. Richard E. Broughton

Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Research Biologist, Oklahoma Biological Survey (Ph.D., Arizona State, 1995), Molecular phylogenetics, population genetics and comparative genomics of fishes; e-mail: rbroughton@ou.edu. His research employs molecular methods to examine historical patterns of diversification among natural groups of animals. He is interested in how DNA evolves in different genes and genomes, as well as the application of molecular data to fundamental questions in systematics, speciation, population divergence, biogeography, and conservation. A major focus is developing computational methods for extracting accurate historical signal from DNA sequence data.
http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/dna/index.html

Dr. Michael Centola

Assistant Member and Director of the Microarray Research Facility, Department of Arthritis and Immunology, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1994), Molecular, cellular, and genomics studies of human autoinflammatory disease; e-mail: centolam@omrf.ouhsc.edu. He investigates the molecular mechanisms mediating human autoimmune and autoinflammatory disease. In collaboration with academic and industrial partners he performs gene expression profiles using microarrays to define new effector and regulatory genes, physiologic systems of dysfunction, as well as novel molecular-based classification schemes of human autoimmune and autoinflammatory disease.
http://www.omrf.ouhsc.edu/OMRF/Research/09/CentolaM.asp

Dr. Qi Cheng

Assistant Professor in Computer Science Department, University of Oklahoma (PhD, University of Southern California, 2001); e-mail: qcheng@ou.edu. He is interested in understanding the algorithmic properties of DNA/molecular self-assembly and studying the theoretical foundations of building more powerful and energy efficient computing devices using DNA/molecular self-assembly. He also works in the fields of algorithms, cryptography and computational complexity.
http://www.cs.ou.edu/~qcheng/

Dr. Tyrrell Conway

Associate Professor, Department of Botany and Microbiology, Co-Director Advanced Center for Genome Technology, Director OU Microarray Core Facility, e-mail: tconway@ou.edu. (Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, 1984). Microbial physiology, ecology, pathogenesis, and genetics. His research employs DNA microarrays. He is interested in the genetic programs employed by enteric bacteria for colonization and pathogenesis in the mouse model.
http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/faculty/conway.html

Dr. Dirk Dittmer

Assistant Professor, Department of Mircobiology and Immunonology, Assistant Professor, OUHSC (Ph.D., Princeton University, 1994), herpesvirus pathogenesis, discovery of new viruses, gene expression arrays; e-mail: dirk-dittmer@ouhsc.edu. His research employs molecular methods to examine viral transcription in AIDS related tumors. He is interested to find new human pathogens as well as to uncover basic mechanisms of viral tumorigenesis. http://w3.ouhsc.edu/mi/faculty/dittmer.html

Dr. David S. Durica

Associate Professor, Department of Zoology (Ph.D., Connecticut, 1977), Developmental genetics and comparative genomics, e-mail: ddurica@ou.edu. This laboratory is using molecular cloning to examine the genomic architecture, developmental expression, physical properties and molecular evolution of members of the nuclear receptor multigene family. A particular interest is the role of ecdysteroid and retinoid signaling in the control of crustacean limb regeneration, and the co-ordinate regulation of regeneration relative to regular cycles of crustacean growth and reproduction.
http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/D/David.S.Durica-1/

Dr. David W. Dyer

Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, OUHSC (Ph.D., Kansas State University, 1983), microbial pathogenesis and genomics; email: david-dyer@ouhsc.edu. His research has focused the ability of pathogenic bacteria to obtain iron during growth in the human host; these studies are currently focusing on Neisseria meningitidis, a common cause of meningitis in infants and young children. A second research focus on microbial genomics and comparative genomics began in 1995, with the genome sequencing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of the human sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea. He has recently completed the genome sequences of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (causing otitis media) and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (periodontal disease), and is currently sequencing the genomes of Haemophilus somnus and Actinobacillus leuropneumoniae (veterinary pathogens).
http://w3.ouhsc.edu/mi/faculty/dyer.html

Dr. Michael S. Gilmore

Dr. Le Gruenwald

Dr. Yuriy Gusev

Assistant Professor in Bioinformatics, Department of Surgery, is instrumental in the ongoing development and activities of surgical research facility focused on molecular and cellular studies of human diseases related to Surgery; e-mail: Yuriy-Gusev@ouhsc.edu. He is responsible for management of computerized cell imaging and bioinformatics systems for gene expression micro-arrays technologies in Surgical Research Core Facilities as well as education of residents, postdoctoral fellows and medical and graduate students. Specific areas of research interest: Computational Cell Biology: modeling and simulation of molecular mechanisms of cell division and cell proliferation in normal and cancer cells; Functional Genomics: bioinformatics methods for differential gene expression analysis and proteomics; Cell Image Analysis: quantitative methods for analysis of specific molecular markers in individual cancer cells. Cancer Research: mechanisms of genetic instability of cancer cells.
http://w3.ouhsc.edu/surgery/f_gusev.asp

Dr. Randall S. Hewes

Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology (Ph.D., University of Washington, 1993), cellular biology and molecular genetics; e-mail: hewes@ou.edu. His research aim is to understand mechanisms underlying the long-term regulation of neuropeptide signaling. Neuropeptides perform diverse and critical functions in animal homeostasis and development. In humans, long-term changes in neuropeptide secretion are intimately associated with common diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. Through genetic studies in the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the mouse, he is identifying molecular mechanisms with potential roles in these long-term changes. In future research, his approaches will include genome scale mutagenesis coupled with DNA-sequence based detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms and transcriptional profiling.
http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/H/Randall.S.Hewes-1/
http://www.ou.edu/cas/zoology/faculty/Hewes.htm

Dr. John J. Iandolo

Professor and Chairman, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City (Ph.D., University of Illinois, 1965). Molecular biology of Staphylococcus aureus and its bacteriophages, e-mail: john-iandolo@ouhsc.edu. Research focuses on gene regulation how it is influenced by bacteriophage carriage. His laboratory (in collaboration with Bruce Roe) sequenced the genome of strain 8325, the species type-strain. He is also interested in the expression, regulation development of BacR1, a peptide antibiotic produced by S. aureus that has a broad spectrum of activity.
http://w3.ouhsc.edu/mi/faculty/Staphlab.htm

Dr. Thomas S. Ray

Professor, Department of Zoology, (Ph.D., Harvard, 1981), Neuropharmacology, Bioinformatics, and Evolution; e-mail: tray@ou.edu. He is currently pursuing two research directions: 1) Bioinformatic studies of the evolution of gene families. 2) Understanding the chemical architecture of the human brain/mind through pharmacology.
http://www.isd.atr.co.jp/~ray

Dr. Bruce A. Roe

George Lynn Cross Research Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, (Ph. D., Western Michingan University, 1970), Genomic structure and function; Procaryote and eukaryote genomic DNA sequence analysis and gene expression; e-mail: broe@ou.edu. His laboratory presently is one of the NIH designated Genome Centers involved in the Human Genome Project, whose goal is to determine the complete sequence of the 3 Billion base paired human chromosomes by 2005. During the past decade he has played a major role in developing many of the techniques needed to complete this goal, as well as trained many of the MS and PhD scientists actively involved in this project worldwide, and implementing new robotics and computer based analysis methods. He also is sequencing several bacterial genomes and actively discovering the new and unique genes in both humans and bacteria. These studies have and will continue to provide an in-depth genetic based understanding of normal gene function and the alterations that occur in a myriad of genetic-based diseases.
http://www.genome.ou.edu/

Dr. Han Wang

Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology (Ph. D. Wayne State, 1996), Zebrafish developmental genetics and genomics, evolution of development and vertebrate genomes; e-mail: hwang@ou.edu. His research focuses on using molecular, genetic and genomic tools to understand zebrafish circadian rhythmicity. He is also interested in how developmentally important genes, developmental mechanisms and vertebrate genomes evolve.
http://www.ou.edu/wanglab/

Dr. Dee H. Wu

Associate Professor and Section Chief of Technology Application Development and Translational Research in Radiological Sciences, with adjunct appointments in neuroscience and radiation oncology. He received a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and has 11 granted patents and over 20 publications/book chapters in both industrial and academic settings. The research activities in his lab may be summarized into 3 groups: 1) development of methods to increase the clinical efficiency of the medical facilities and the exchange of information; 2) identification, characterization and validation of imaging biomarkers; and 3) improvement to instrumentation and the corresponding physical understanding of underlying phenomenology in the progression of disease. Dr. Wu works closely with several bioinformatics groups at OUHSC Oklahoma City and OU Norman campuses. His section correlates anatomical, physiological, cellular, and molecular processes associated with the presence and severity of disease. This information is used to improve efficiency of imaging instrumentation and to develop databases and workflow structures to promote biomedical informatics standardization. Email: dee-wu@ouhsc.edu
http://w3.ouhsc.edu/medical-physics/dwu