BIO5 Institute

The personalized diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of cancer.

My research focuses on advancing our understanding of how and why aging impacts the brain and associated cognitive abilities. I use neuroimaging scans of brain function and structure together with measures of cognition and health status to identify those factors that influence brain aging and the risk for Alzheimer's disease. My work also includes identifying how health and lifestyle interventions can help to delay or prevent the effects of brain aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity at the University of Arizona. Equipped with work experience in both academia and industry. Strong engineering /architecture skills, skilled in Cloud Computing (AWS, Azure, and GCP); Cloud Security; Container Security; Automation; Network Security; Violent Python; Palo Alto Networks; Active Directory; Web Development/Security; Pentesting/Ethical Hacking; Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR); Cybersecurity Strategy, Standards, Policies, and Controls; Awareness Training Programs, and more.

Depression is a major health problem that is often chronic or recurrent. Existing treatments have limited effectiveness, and are provided wihtout a clear indication that they will match a particular patient's needs. In this era of precision medicine, we strive to develop neurally-informed treatments for depression and related disorders.

My lab develops magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques with an emphasis on quantitative imaging to improve the diagnosis of early disease and the effect of treatment. Main areas of disease focus are cancer, cardiovascular, and metabolic disorders. A focus of our work is clinical translation, thus the methods that we developed provide high quality and accurate quantitative imaging within the time constraints of a clinical MRI scan. Support for our work is provided by the National Institutes of Health, the Arizona Biomedical research Centre, the American Heart Association, and industry and our technology is distributed worldwide.

I am an evolutionary ecologist with expertise in plant microbiomes in both wild and agricultural ecosystems. My group and I use the tools of microbiology, molecular ecology, informatics, systematics, organismal biology, and genomics to study the distributions and impacts of plant-associated microbes worldwide, with study sites that range from the Arctic to tropical rainforests. Our interests in fungal biodiversity, plant-microbe interactions, fungal-bacterial dynamics, and molecular ecology are readily translated to animal systems in diverse settings. We collaborate with agricultural experts in academia and industry, natural products chemists interested in pharmaceutical drug discovery, and academic partners interested in identifying and translating principles of biodiversity research to human endeavors. We are active in outreach, especially with high school researchers, teachers, and classes, and welcome diverse graduate students and undergraduates with an interest in plant microbiology and its applications.

We are interested in understanding the genetic basis for bacterial interactions with other organisms (be they plants, insects, fungi, other bacteria), and on how evolution shapes these interactions. By better understanding the rules and molecules that structure such relationships, we hope to develop new ways to manipulate these interactions (e.g. through the development of specific antimicrobial compounds) or shape their evolutionary dynamics through time.

Dr. Banek’s research program studies the physiological underpinnings of high blood pressure (i.e. hypertension), in addition to other cardiovascular and kidney diseases. His research aims to elucidate the detailed mechanisms of the peripheral nervous system in cardiovascular and renal disease to provide a translational platform for development and refinement of emerging pharmacological and surgery-based therapies.

I develop new optical imaging devices that can detect cancer at the earliest stage. Optics has the resolution and sensitivity to find these small, curable lesions, and we design the endoscope that provide access to organs inside the body. .

We study how neuronal axons and their terminals respond to stress and damage, and how the molecules activated by stress and damage execute decisions about whether to repair themselves or self-destruct. We hope to identify target molecules that could be used to prevent axon and nerve terminal loss in diseases ranging from diabetic neuropathy to Alzheimer's disease.

Cancer models have been utilized to define properties of the anti-tumor response and factors that regulate the function of distinct cellular populations. The overarching results highlight the importance of the Wnt signaling pathways that utilize the canonical pathways but also new pathways that don’t utilize the canonical pathways. These pathways may also be significantly impacted by Notch signaling. Novel cellular functions have been identified and the hope is that it will lead to innovative therapeutic approaches to treat cancer. In addition, studies of the Wnt antagonist DKK1 in the chronic parasitic infections by Leishmania major are being utilized to define the primary mechanistic interactions that lead to the infections.

Unravel the phylodynamics and transmission-specific determinants of emerging plant virus/fastidious bacteria-insect vector complexes, and translate new knowledge to abate pathogen spread in food systems.

The Buchan lab studies how cells regulate gene expression at the level of cytoplasmic messenger RNA (mRNA), the templates of protein synthesis. Areas of particular interest include mRNA-protein bodies called stress granules and P-bodies, which regulate mRNA function, cell signaling, and are implicated in the pathology of viral replication, various cancers and neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS.

Dr. Winslow Burleson is a social inventor, a scholar, researcher, artist, and educator with expertise in Human Computer Interaction and the Learning Sciences. He has been recognized as a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery, a pioneering innovator advancing the digital age. The National Academy of Engineering recognized him as one of the “nation's brightest young engineering researchers and educators.” Prior to joining University of Arizona he was an Associate Professor at New York University where he served as PI for the NSF Experiential Supercomputing: A Transdisciplinary Research and Innovation Holodeck grant, the only large-scale NSF CISE MRI awarded nationally in 2016. He earned a BA in Bio-Physics from Rice University, MSE in Product Design from Stanford University, and PhD in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT. He has authored over 100 scholarly articles, holds eleven patents, and twice received Time Magazine’s Top Inventions of the Year Awards.

Dr. Haijiang Cai's lab studies neural circuitry mechanism of behaviors in health and disease, and develop research tools as well as disease therapies. Recently, the lab has identified specific neural circuits in a brain region called amygdala that play important roles in both emotion and feeding behavior, which could be targeted to treat eating disorders or depression.

Peptides and proteins play a vital role in almost every cellular process in living organisms. Our research discovers and determines structural information on peptides and proteins to design drugs to more effectively treat human disease.

We aim to understand the mechanisms of HPV infection, the cellular responses to HPV infection, and how the interplay between host and virus influences the outcome

We investigate the myriad of ways microbes living in the wild (soil, water and air) affect Earth processes and our health.

Dr Tara Carr is a board certified Allergist/Immunologist physician and Associate Professor at the University of Arizona. She is focused on studying the impact of environmental exposures on development and heterogeneity of allergic disease, with an emphasis on asthma. Her highly collaborative lab at Bio5 serves as biorepository for multiple clinical cohorts, and utilizes a broad range of experimental methods to describe the immunological characteristics of asthma and allergic disease.

I am an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. I was previously a Postdoctoral Scholar in Dr. Geoffrey C. Gurtner’s laboratory at Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, and I previously earned a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia and a BS in Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley. I am highly interested in using my biomedical research and engineering skills to help develop and translate technology to the patient bedside and clinic. I studied and developed therapies to combat scar formation during wound healing or fibrous capsule formation during foreign body reaction (FBR) against biomedical implants. I have studied several translational preclinical animal models of scar healing after both open wound healing and after split thickness skin grafting. These studies have been published in high impact journals such as Nature Communications and Science Translational Medicine. At the University of Arizona, I am co-directing the research lab with Dr. Gurtner, in which we are continuing all of our previous research from Stanford here in Arizona.

Dr. Cooper’s research is One Health based and involves an interdisciplinary approach encompassing the various food industries, numerous researchers from different disciplines, and federal regulatory agencies to solving challenging global food safety issues. The Cooper laboratory’s research focuses more specifically on the genomics, pathogenesis and epidemiology of various bacterial foodborne pathogens. Dr. Cooper earned his doctorate degree at the University of Arizona (UA), post-doctorate researcher at UA, post-doctorate researcher at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, and an assistant professor at California State University, Northridge for 4 years, prior to returning to UA as an assistant professor in 2017.

We investigate how the chemicals in our daily lives interact with the female reproductive system and influence fertility. We hope that our discoveries will help reduce the incidence of infertility and improve women's health.

Working at the nexus of functional genomics, computational biology, and cellular biology, our group is both experimental and computational. We develop novel single-cell genomic technologies and apply them to better understand lung development and disease.

Dr. Davidowitz studies how insects allocate the nutrients they acquire from food to different functions and traits. He is also developing the processes and technologies to develop edible insects for food and feed. He founded a startup company, HexaFeast, to commercialize these processes.

I am investigating a human connective tissue disorder in mice. I am also investigating the role of gut bacteria in colon cancer risk in both a mouse model of colon cancer and in humans with colon cancer.

As both a research scientist and practicing infectious disease clinician I remain keenly aware of the importance of the practical application of basic research, to the broader problems we face treating patients with both invasive and opportunistic fungal infections. My main research interest focuses on the evaluation of early events involved with coccidioidomycosis.

Approximately 795,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, and 400,000 will experience long-term disability. The number of stroke survivors in the population is expected to double by 2025. Currently, treatments for stroke patients are limited to tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), but its use is limited to the first few hours after stroke. Therefore, the goal of our research is to develop new therapeutics that can promote repair and recovery in this rapidly growing population.

Dr. Solange Duhamel is an aquatic microbiologist and biogeochemist, specializing in the abundance, diversity and activity of aquatic microbes in the ocean, as well as in lakes, rivers, wetland ecosystems, and extreme environments. Her work applies to both life in Earth aquatic ecosystems and the potential for life on other planets, Astrobiology.

My laboratory studies how the retina takes visual information about the world and transmits it to the brain. We are trying to understand how this signaling responds to changing amounts of background light and becomes dysfunctional in diabetes.

There are over 30,000 undergraduates on our campus, and the skills and knowledge they gain here will shape their future careers and their lives. My work focuses on helping faculty members to reach their potential as teachers, and working to support them in the critical work they do.

Brian Erstad’s research interests pertain to critical care medicine with an emphasis on patient safety and related outcomes research.

Dr. Leslie V. Farland's research program focuses broadly on women’s health and can be categorized into three major themes: i) the intersection between women’s reproductive health and chronic disease risk ii) etiology and risk factors for endometriosis, infertility, and polycystic ovary syndrome iii) disparities in access to infertility care and fertility treatment utilization

Kathryn Farell-Poe's work focuses on developing extension environment education programs including: Composting: On-Farm, Backyard, and Municipal; Groundwater; Hazardous Chemicals in the Home - Use, Storage, and Disposal; Nonpoint Source Pollution; Recycling, Precycling; Safe Drinking Water; Onsite Wastewater/Septic Education

Fabian-Xosé Fernandez's work includes a focus on parsing the logic used by the circadian pacemaker to interpret multidimensional light patterns, developing light-emitting diode (LED) photo-stimulation protocols to improve mental and physical health across the lifespan, and understanding the role that nocturnal wakefulness plays in suicide risk and developing countermeasures centered around light exposure.

Dr. Fisher is an Assistant Research Professor with the Arizona Statistics Consulting Laboratory (StatLab). Her primary interests are in the brain and imaging data. Specifically, she is interested both in how the brain handles linguistic and other cognitive processes and in developing statistical methodologies to identify distributed signal associated with such processes. She has conducted fMRI and EEG experiments and has experience with experimental design and data analysis from a range of disciplines including psycho- and neurolinguistics, public health, and medicine. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Carleton College and an M.A. in Linguistics, an M.S. in Statistics, and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from The University of Arizona.

Dr. Chris Frost is a chemical ecologist interested in the basic and applied aspects of plant defense chemistry, with a particular fondness for volatile compounds that generate the distinct odors of plants. He also has an established (published) interest in promoting citizen science cultivating widespread understanding of the importance of science in our everyday lives.

Janet Funk's work includes a focus on metastatic breast cancer that spans the research spectrum from bench to bedside, translational arthritis studies of the pharmacokinetics and safety of turmeric, and collaborative endocrinological studies evaluating the effects of obesity and insulin resistance on bone development in Hispanic girls, as well as effects of obesity on breast cancer risk in older women.

I examine the molecular functions of the different cells found in the tissues and organs of plants and animals and how they combine these functions to optimize the health and vigor of the organism.

Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis) occurs more in Arizona than anywhere else. My research and others at the Valley Fever Center for Excellence involve understanding how disease is caused by infection, how the immune system stops or prevents illness, and how we can better diagnose, treat, or prevent this public health problem.

The Gallitano Lab investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying the dual genetic and environmental risk for neuropsychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and mood disorders. We focus on immediate early genes that are activated in the brain by environmental stimuli, including stress, and regulate processes disrupted in mental illnesses. Ongoing studies examine how Egr3 regulates effectors including Arc and the serotonin 2A receptor to influence synaptic plasticity, memory, and behavior.

The broad objective of our research program in Bioorganic Chemistry and Chemical Biology is to construct protein therapeutics, protein mimetics, biomaterials, and biosensors. Our research at the University of Arizona is highly multidisciplinary and utilizes techniques in organic synthesis, biochemistry, molecular biology, and a host of physical characterization methods. Our research motto is simple: Unraveling mysteries and Enabling discoveries.

I moved to UA COMP after many years at San Diego State University as the Director of the SDSU Heart Institute. Here, I am the inaugural Director of the Translational Cardiovascular Research Center. I am also the Associate Dean for Research at UA COMP. My main goal in both of these positions is to continue to build current and develop new translational biomedical research programs that bridge UA COMP with clinical partners in Phoenix and with research partners at UA COMP.

Our lab has a new treatment for heart failure. We have a biodegradable graft seeded with adult human cells that we put on the surface of the heart. The potential is to regenerate new heart muscle

Dr. Goodrum's long-standing research focus is to understand the molecular virus-host interactions important to human cytomegalovirus (CMV) latency and persistence in the host. She has focused on identifying viral and host determinants mediating the switch between latent and replicative states. The goal of her research program is to define the mechanistic underpinnings of HCMV latency and reactivation to lay the foundation for clinical interventions to control CMV disease in all settings.

Judith S. Gordon, Ph.D., is a professor and Associate Dean for Research in the University of Arizona College of Nursing. She is also a professor in the University of Arizona Department of Family and Community. Dr. Gordon has 25 years of experience in tobacco cessation and prevention research. Dr. Gordon has been Principal or Co-Investigator on more than 40 projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, NASA, private foundations, and the University of Arizona. She has authored or co-authored over 120 books, products, and publications in peer-reviewed journals, and presented at numerous local, regional, national and international scientific conferences.

The broad goal of Katalin Gothard's research is to understand the neural basis of emotion and social behavior. Her lab work reveals the real-time dynamic interactions in multiple systems implicated in emotion regulation and the mechanisms by which emotional responses produce immediate behavioral effects.

Dr. Grandner is a licensed clinical psychologist board-certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at the Banner-University Medical Center in Tucson. His work focuses on real-world implications of sleep health. He has over 150 journal publications, holds leadership in several national organizations, serves on the editorial boards of several journals in the field, and has served as a scientific advisor to health, technology, athletics, nutritional, and pharma companies.

The research in my laboratory is focused on identifying the components and molecular mechanisms regulating actin architecture in cardiac and skeletal muscle during normal development and disease. Control of actin filament lengths and dynamics is important for cell motility and architecture and is regulated in part by capping proteins that block elongation and depolymerization at both the fast-growing (barbed) and slow-growing (pointed) ends of the filaments.

My research interests are broadly focused on understanding how and why we store and retrieve memories. The clinical and cognitive neuroscience research conducted in my laboratory combines neuropsychological, cognitive, social psychological, and neuroimaging approaches. An emphasis of my current research is autobiographical memory, which refers to memories of personal experiences. Ongoing projects are investigating how autobiographical memory is affected in several populations, including older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and individuals with acquired brain injury. We also are interested in understanding how changes to autobiographical memory impact other aspects of cognition, and we seek to develop new interventions to improve autobiographical memory and everyday functioning.

Stefano Guerra's work includes an epidemiologic study, which used a household-based approach to assess prevalence and longitudinal changes in respiratory health. Other biomarker projects include a study on molecular biomarkers of asthma and COPD from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey.

Discovery of natural products from plants and their associated microorganisms as potential drugs to treat cancer. Application of medicinal chemistry approach for structure-activity relationship studies and to obtain compounds for preclinical evaluation. Development of alternative agricultural systems for sustainable utilization of natural resources.

We learn history from the genomes of humans, tumors, and other species. Our studies reveal how evolution works at the molecular level, offering fundamental insight into how humans and pathogens adapt to challenges.

Jeremiah Hackett’s research interests are in the areas of genome evolution, the evolution of photosynthesis and the physiology of harmful algae. Part of his research investigates how eukaryotes acquire plastids through endosymbiosis and how this process influences genome evolution through gene transfer. Another main area of research is the ecology and physiology of harmful algae. His lab is using microarrays to determine global gene expression patterns of harmful algae under various growth conditions. These gene expression profiles will be used to determine the factors that lead to harmful algal blooms in the oceans.

Michael Hammer has headed a productive research lab in human evolutionary genetics. His lab were early adopters of next generation sequencing (NGS) technology successfully employed NGS methods to identify molecular lesions causing neurodevelopmental disorders in undiagnosed children. His lab is also currently pursuing studies to identify modifier genes that alter the expression of major genes and how they contribute to phenotypic heterogeneity in Mendelian disorders.

The long-term goal of research in my lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms of muscle contraction. I am especially interested in how contractile proteins of muscle sarcomeres regulate the force and speed of contraction in the heart. The question is important from both basic science and clinical perspectives because mutations in sarcomere proteins of muscle are a leading cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in the young and a prevalent cause of heart failure in adults. Myosin binding protein-C (MyBP-C) is a muscle regulatory protein that speeds actomyosin cycling kinetics in response to adrenaline (b-adrenergic stimuli) and is one of the two most commonly affected proteins linked to HCM. Currently, the major research focus in my lab is understanding the mechanisms by which cMyBP-C regulates contractile speed and mechanisms by which mutations in cMyBP-C cause disease.

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Melanie Hingle's work focuses on understanding determinants of energy balance behaviors (i.e. how and why behaviors are initiated and sustained), and identifying contributors to the success of interventions (i.e. when, where, and how interventions should be delivered) are critical steps toward developing programs that effectively change behavior, thereby mitigating unhealthy weight gain and promoting optimal health. Current projects include: Determinants of metabolic risk, and amelioration of risk, in pediatric cancer survivors, Guided imagery intervention delivered via a mobile software application to increase healthy eating and physical activity in weight-concerned women smokers, and Family-focused diabetes prevention program delivered in partnership with the YMCA.

The Horton lab uses biophysical, biochemical, and molecular biology to study protein-DNA interactions and filament formation by enzymes. Current projects include the investigation of mechanisms of disease caused by the Human Parvovirus B19, and advantages of filament formation by enzymes such as the sequence specific DNA endonuclease SgrAI, and the important metabolic enzyme PFK.

We seek to develop tools and strategies to expedite the understanding and treatment of the dengue virus. These advances will be transferable to other areas of virology and biochemistry. Along these lines, we are engaged in three core synergistic projects to answer the following questions: (1) Do unnatural metabolites incorporated into DENV serve as reporters for host-pathogen interactions? (2) What are the host-pathogen interactions in DENV that are targetable for diagnosis or treatment? (3) Is there a chemical reaction between two small molecules that reports on the interaction between DENV and host proteins?

Dr. Jiang is an Associate Research Professor with the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Arizona. Dr. Jiang develops integrated microsystems, including microfluidics, Lab-on-Chip, Organs-on-Chips, microOptics, flexible optical interconnect and microsensors.

Metals such as calcium and iron are essential to living organisms. Some metals in excess, like copper, are detrimental to bacteria. My laboratory studies this phenomenon in Streptococcus pneumoniae to find novels method for killing pathogenic bacteria.

We are developing low-cost in vivo microscopy devices that can visualize cellular details of human tissues in vivo and help disease diagnosis and treatment in low-resource settings, high-speed tissue microscopy technologies that can examine entire organ under risk of having malignant diseases and detect small, early-stage lesions, and miniature microscopy devices that have the potential to examine anatomically-challenging human organs and facilitate integration of microscopic imaging with other imaging modalities.

John Kececioglu's research is in applied algorithms, with an emphasis on bioinformatics and computational biology, including: multiple sequence alignment, inverse parametric alignment, sequence assembly, and genome rearrangement. Software developed by his group includes Opal, a tool for multiple sequence alignment, Facet, a tool for alignment accuracy estimation, InverseOpt, a library for inverse parametric optimization, Ipa, a tool for inverse sequence alignment, and AlignAlign, a tool for optimally aligning alignments.

My research examines neural factors which affect language functions, and how these change across life-span and are influenced by stroke, brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders. In my work, I use combination of cognitive measures and multimodal neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, EEG/ERPs, MEG). I am also interested in recovery of function, and treatment approaches involving speech-language therapy in combination with noninvasive brain stimulation techniques.

Dr. Killgore is the Director of the Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) Lab in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona. He is a clinical neuropsychologist and research neuroscientist whose research focuses on understanding the brain systems involved in emotional processes and cognitive performance. For the past decade, his work has focused nearly exclusively on the factors affecting the mental health, wellbeing, and performance of military personnel and combat Veterans. His work combines neurocognitive assessment with state-of-the-art neuroimaging methods to study the role of emotion in complex cognitive processes such as moral judgment, decision-making, and risk-taking. He is also interested in how these brain-behavior systems may be affected by environmental and lifestyle factors such as insufficient sleep, nutrition, light exposure, physical activity, and stimulants such as caffeine. In particular, Dr. Killgore has explored the role of sleep as a mediator of psychological and emotional health and the potential role of insufficient sleep as a contributor to psychiatric disturbance, emotional dysregulation, and risk-related behavior. He is currently conducting several Department of Defense funded studies on problems affecting military personnel including mild traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Minkyu Kim's research interests are in the areas of biopolymers and biomaterials for advanced national defense and healthcare. He is currently working to develop functional biopolymer materials for the treatment of antimicrobial-resistance diseases and atherosclerosis.

I use human genetic data to find associations of genetic markers with complex traits and diseases, to shed light on disease pathophysiology, causal pathways, and health disparities, and to inform precision medicine.

We study how a common intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, persists in, and potentially changes, the mammalian brain. Understanding the Toxoplasma-brain interaction offers the opportunity to develop better therapies to treat toxoplasmosis as well as giving new insights into how to manipulate the brain immune response which has been implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases.

Michael Kuhns' research program is focused on (i) increasing our basic understanding of how T cell fate decisions are made (e.g. development, activation, differentiation, effector functions), and (ii) increasing their working knowledge of how to manipulate these decisions to direct T cells towards a desired outcome, such as increasing responses to vaccines or tumors, preventing transplant rejection, or attenuating autoimmunity.

I develop mathematics of biomedical imaging. All modalities of tomography imaging rely heavily on mathematical algorithms for forming an image. I develop the theory and the algorithm enabling this technology.

Dr. Lai uses behavioral and neuroscience methods to study contextualized language meaning. Her current research include figurative language, emotion and language, and language and thought about motion and time. Dr. Lai received her PhD at the University of Colorado Boulder. She conducted postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute of Psycholinguistics first and then at the University of South Carolina. She has been a faculty in Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Arizona since Fall 2016. She is an elected fellow at the Psychonomic Society.

https://www.engr.arizona.edu/~klaksari/

Julie Ledford's research focuses on respiratory disease, and genetic and molecular mechanisms of allergic airway diseases in children.

Dr. Lega's research aims to understand nonlinear phenomena and how they affect physical or biological systems around us. Her work, which is collaborative in nature, combines data-informed mathematical modeling with mathematical analysis of the models and numerical simulations. Her scientific contributions span the areas of nonlinear science, fluid dynamics, nonlinear optics, molecular and cellular biology, neuroscience, geosciences, and more recently, mosquito-borne diseases. Dr. Lega is a Professor of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics (GIDP), and Public Health at the University of Arizona. She is a member of the UA Bio 5 Institute, a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK), and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Dr. Li is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Arizona. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Arizona in 2019. He is the associate director of Center to Stream Healthcare in Place regarding the development of in-home technologies for managing chronic diseases. Dr. Li is an expert in machine learning and sleep disorders with a primary focus on design home-based healthcare systems. His research projects have been funded by the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Li is an Assistant Professor of Biosystems Informatics and a faculty member in the Statistics and Data Science Graduate Interdisciplinary Program and the UA Cancer Center. He was trained in computer science and statistics, focusing on developing novel applied data science approaches for research in biomedicine, agriculture, and engineering. He received a distinguished paper award from the American Medical Informatics Association in 2011.

My laboratory focuses on both basic and translational sciences. In basic science part, we investigate the structures, functions and mechanisms of essential macromolecules involved in various cellular actions and disease processes. The knowledge gained from these basic science studies leads to the second category, the drug discovery part where we develop novel biochemical and cellular assays for different drug targets, carry out high throughput screening (HTS) assays to identify novel target-based inhibitors, perform cellular antiviral/antifungal/anti-cancer assays, and conduct ADMET profiling and mouse model efficacy studies for lead compounds.

Xianchun Li's research aims to use genetics to shed light on the defense signaling of plants and the counterdefense of herbivorous insects, which may result in the design of new insecticides for crops like corn, in defense against the corn earworm. Additionally, Dr. Li's research is to define, globally, the regulatory triangle between nuclear receptors (NRs), their ligands, and cytochrome P450s (P450s) in Drosophila melanogaster, and to investigate the molecular mechanisms of Bt and conventional insecticide resistance.

Zong-Ming Li, PhD, is currently the William and Sylvia Rubin Endowed Chair of Orthopedic Research at The University of Arizona, and a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Li is also the Vice Chair for Research in Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Director of Robert G. Volz, MD Orthopedic Research Laboratories, Associate Director of University of Arizona Arthritis Center, and Director of the Hand Research Laboratory. Prior to moving to University of Arizona, Dr. Li was a Professor in Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, and held appointments as Full Staff in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Orthopedic Surgery, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic. While in Cleveland, Dr. Li was an Adjunct Professor in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the Cleveland State University where he served as the Co-Chair of the Applied Biomedical Engineering PhD Program, a joint educational establishment between Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland State University. Dr. Li has more than 30 years of experience in musculoskeletal research and education, including (1) his current position as an Endowed Chair of Orthopedic Research (2019-); (2) Professor and Staff at the Cleveland Clinic in Biomedical Engineering, Orthopedic Surgery, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (2009-2019); (2) Assistant/Associate Professor in Orthopedic Surgery, Bioengineering, and Occupational Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh (2001-2009); (3) Assistant Professor in Physical Therapy at Walsh University (1998-2001); (4) doctoral studies in biomechanics at the Pennsylvania State University (1995-1998); (5) research experience in orthopedic biomechanics at the Shanghai Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology of Ruijin Hospital (1992-1995); (6) graduate studies for a Master’s degree in musculoskeletal biomechanics from the Sichuan University (1989-1992); and (7) undergraduate studies in engineering mechanics and a bachelor’s thesis in sports biomechanics from the Southwest Jiaotong University in China (1985-1989). As an enthusiastic supporter and contributor to his profession, Dr. Li has served on the editorial boards of 18 journals related to bioengineering and orthopedics and has reviewed manuscripts for more than 30 professional journals. He has extensively contributed to organizing national and international conferences related to orthopedics, bioengineering, rehabilitation, kinesiology, and biomechanics. In his service to professional societies, Dr. Li was the President of the World Association for Chinese Biomedical Engineers (WACBE, 2013-2015), a member of the Executive Board of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB, 2009-2012), Co-Chair of the Upper Extremity Topic Committee of the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS, 2007-2009), and a Member of the Research Management Committee of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH, 2014-2017). He is currently a member of the Board of Directors, Asian-American Institute for Research and Education (ASIAM 2017-), and the President of Hand and Wrist Biomechanics International (HWBI, 2012-).

Dr. Liang’s research focuses on three major fields: biomedical imaging, advanced imaging, and optical engineering. In biomedical imaging, his lab has been working on various imaging techniques for image guided surgery, cancer detection and diagnosis, including low-cost, mobile imaging platform for oral cancer screening in low-resource setting and multimodal OCT system for precision oral cancer detection and diagnosis. His lab has also been investigating new optical techniques for tissue imaging, such as confocal, light sheet, multiphoton, and hyperspectral imaging. In advanced imaging, Dr. Liang’s lab aims to extract additional information based on phase, polarization, and spectrum. His lab has developed snapshot imaging techniques for polarization and spectral imaging. In optical engineering, Dr. Liang’s lab is known for the capabilities in optical design, fabrication, and testing. His group has been developing compact optical systems for medical, consumer, industrial, and space applications, including three cameras used in NASA’s OSIRIX-REx mission. In addition to precision diamond turning, his lab has developed unique 3D printing method for fabricating precision freeform optics. Dr. Liang’s group has also been very active on optical metrology, with a focus on freeform and snapshot metrology.

Jonathan Lifshitz's research questions primarily investigate traumatic brain injury as a disease process that dismantles, repairs and regenerates circuits in the brain. The underlying principle is that adaptive repair and regeneration fail, leaving a miswired brain and neurological impairments that decrease quality of life.

Our current research program use an integrative approach at the whole animal, isolated organ, cellular and molecular levels to investigate developmental adaptations in pancreatic β-cells and insulin sensitivity that result from early life risk factors, such as intrauterine growth restriction, and increase risk of glucose intolerance and Diabetes in later life.

Developing safer, more stable sunscreens

Precise diagnosis and treatment of disease requires an ability to target agents to specific tissues and cell types within those tissues. We are developing agents that exhibit cell type specificity for these purposes.

Purnima Madhivanan is an epidemiologist and biomedical researcher examining the intersection of infectious diseases and cancer using -omics technology. Her current work is examining the vaginal and gut microbiome and their role in women's reproductive health. She has conducted several large mixed methods epidemiological studies in the US and internationally.

The Marty Lab uses mass spectrometry to study interactions of membrane proteins, peptides, and lipids within nanoscale membrane mimetics.

Prof. Euan McLeod studies optical systems for sensing and imaging objects at the nanoscale. His lab uses optical tweezers to "print" photonic devices at higher resolution out of more types of materials than other 3D printers. Euan also works on cost-effective field-portable lensfree holographic microscopes that provide high resolution across an ultra-large field of view. These microscopes are used for biomedical sensing and environmental air quality monitoring.

We aim to constrain the microbial drivers of soil-atmosphere trace gas fluxes across a range of scales. We constrain the genetic traits for trace gas metabolism and develop new tools for measuring genes and gases in heterogenous soil systems. New understanding is evaluated across a range of model to natural ecosystems where microbial trace gas cycling occurs in the context of environmental forcings and interactions. Lab website: www.laurameredith.com

I am a neuroscientist who studies the impact of aging and neurodegenerative disease on voice and speech. My laboratory seeks a better understanding of the molecules, cells and circuits in the brain that support vocal production.

We seek to produce new drugs that harness molecules produced during the natural immune response in order to treat cancer and pain. Such compounds may also provide new treatments for heart failure and alcoholism.

We investigate how proteins work in healthy organisms and how they fail in disease. We determine the atomic structures of proteins and the underlying biochemistry that gives rise to protein function. We also develop new proteins as drug targets for treating cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Parthasarathy has expertise in noninvasive home ventilation for sleep-related breathing disorders and invasive ventilation in critically ill patients. His major areas of focus have been in promoting adherence to nonivasive ventilation devices in the home setting and patient-ventilator interaction during critical illness. He serves as Chief of Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine at COM-T and as a Special Advisor to NH/NHLBI.

I analyze MRI images to understand more about how human language works. We use functional MRI to determine which brain regions are involved in different language tasks. We also look at diffusion MRI to learn about the quality of the wiring between regions.

Data science for environmental and public health applications, with emphasis on environmental risk assessment and informatics for precision medicine.

All viruses hijack host cell machinery to facilitate their replication. My lab investigates how the production of infectious viral progeny relies on host metabolism. Our overall goal is to guide the development of novel antiviral therapies using information regarding how viruses hijack host metabolism.

Dr. Rafikov laboratory is focused on molecular mechanisms of pulmonary vascular cell dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension and acute lung injury. The lab is exploring mechanisms of metabolic reprogramming, mitochondrial dysfunction, and proliferative signaling.

Renquist Lab Research aims to address the causes and consequent diseases of obesity. To this end we have research focused on 1) type 2 diabetes and obesity associated hypertension, 2) development of effective, ligand-directed, chemotherapeutic for cancer, and 3) central nervous system control of visceral blood flow and food intake.

Lisa Romero is the executive director of public affairs, communications, and engagement for the University of Arizona's BIO5 Institute. She serves as one third of the enterprise wide BIO5 leadership team alongside Dr. Jennifer Barton and Kate Riley. Every strategic decision facing the institute is their collective responsibility.

Smart grid and smart home, VLSI system for biomedical applications, multi-core design, data centric systems, reliable systems and circuits, DNA computing, and synthetic biology

Anne-Michelle Ruha, MD is a Professor of Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. She practices medical toxicology at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix (BUMCP), where she serves as Chief of the Department of Medical Toxicology and Section Chief for Addiction Medicine. Her primary research interest is in snake and scorpion envenomations and antivenom. She is the Principal Investigator of the American College of Medical Toxicology’s (ACMT) Toxicology Investigator Consortium’s North American Snakebite Registry.

Dr. John M. Ruiz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona. Dr. Ruiz’s program of research focuses on psychosocial influences on health. His NIH-funded research examines relationships between individual level psychosocial factors, social behaviors, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk with an emphasis on biobehavioral mechanisms. In addition, Dr. Ruiz has recognized expertise in sociocultural aspects of racial/ethnic health disparities, particularly the epidemiological phenomenon referred to as the Hispanic Health Paradox. He is increasingly recognized for his efforts to advance health equity.

Dr. Julienne Rutherford is Professor and the John & Nell Mitchell Endowed Chair for Pediatric Nursing in the University of Arizona College of Nursing. She is a biological anthropologist whose work integrates bioanthropological theory with biomedical science. For 20 years, she has sustained a program of research exploring the intrauterine environment as a biosocial determinant of health. She studies how maternal life history and lived experience shape this earliest developmental setting, and how, in turn, the intrauterine environment influences growth, health, and development across the life course and across generations. She has been the PI of multiple federal grants, and is an award winning researcher and educator.

We use integrative omics, physiological human imaging and human iPSC-based microphysiological systems to elucidate the science of nutrient-responsive sensing and signaling processes with the aim of rationally applying this knowledge in development of effective personalized interventions. My topical expertise is in age-related macular degeneration and nutrition. My research teams have a central interest in mitochondrial physiology as a target system.

Suchol’s work includes the use of soft materials mechanics and device engineering in the development of chemical and biosensors for health and environmental monitoring.

Dr. Rachna Shroff is the Chief of GI Medical Oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) where she also serves as the Director of the Clinical Trials Office. Within the UA College of Medicine Tucson, she is the Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research. Dr. Shroff is a clinical and translational investigator focused on dveloping novel targeted therapies and immunotherapies for pancreatic and hepatobiliary cancers and has led multiple clinical trials in this space.

Our laboratory focuses on the role and regulation of sphingolipids and their metabolizing enzymes in the pathobiology of inflammation. Specifically, our interests are in gastrointestinal inflammation and inflammatory bowel disease. We employ both in vitro and in vivo model systems to examine the role of dietary modulation on sphingolipid metabolism and inflammation. In our pursuits, we utilize cell lines, intestinal organoids, in vivo models, and biobanked samples from patients with IBD and colorectal cancer to determine the effects of high fat diets and dietary fatty acids on sphingolipid metabolism and intestinal pathobiology. Moreover, we utilize unbiased “Omics” approaches in our research efforts, specifically lipidomics, proteomics and phospho-proteomics, in order to define novel mechanisms, interventions, therapeutic targets and biomarkers for intestinal pathobiologies.

Using engineered biomaterials and cell therapy, my lab develops organ-on-chip systems and artificial implantable organs/devices for diagnostics and therapeutics. I focus on student-centered teaching with hands-on learning experience. I'm a strong advocate for women, URM, first-gen, and non-traditional students (veterans) in STEM education.

Armin's research focuses on the effect of aerosol particles on the environment, clouds and rainfall, climate, and public health/welfare. A suite of synergistic methods are used for this research, including laboratory experiments, ground and airborne field measurements, modeling, and remote sensing observations. Since 2004, he has participated in 15 airborne field projects, including six as a mission PI with the CIRPAS Twin Otter (sponsored by ONR). Currently, Armin is involved with a multi-year NASA project called CAMP2EX (Cloud and Aerosol Monsoonal Processes-Philippines Experiment; https://espo.nasa.gov/camp2ex/content/CAMP2Ex) and is serving as the PI of a NASA Earth Venture Suborbital-3 (EVS-3) mission called ACTIVATE (Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment; https://activate.larc.nasa.gov/).

Dr. Sprissler is an Associate Research Professor and founding member of the Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine at the University of Arizona as well as Director and Lead Scientist of the University of Arizona Genetics Core. Dr. Sprissler's research has a particular focus on clinical human genetics and understanding the role of genetics in human disease onset, progression and response to treatment.

Dr. Sun received his PhD degree from Industrial and Physical Pharmacy at Purdue University in 2016. He joined the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona in 2020 after completion of his postdoctoral training in nanomedicine and immunotherapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He published 9 papers in pharmaceutical journals, 1 book chapter and 1 licensed patent.

The Sutphin Lab studies the molecular basis of aging. Individual age is the primary risk factor for the majority of the top causes of death in the United States and other developed nations. As our population grows older, aging is increasingly a central problem for both individual quality of life and the economics of societal health. Understanding the molecular architecture that drives aging will reveal key intervention points to extend healthy human lifespan, simultaneously delay onset of multiple categories of age-associated disease, and develop targeted treatments for specific pathologies. We use a combination of systems biology, comparative genetics, and molecular physiology to identify new genetic and environmental factors in aging and characterize their molecular role in age-associated disease.

We combine chemical and computer vision approaches to discover how regenerative tissues process environmental information to promote accurate cell fate decisions and prevent uncontrolled cell growth.

We study the biodiversity, biogeography, evolutionary origins, and ecological roles of plant-associated microorganisms. We use a combination of traditional culture-based microbiology, functional assays, and next-generation 'omics tools to study microbial symbiont communities in diverse lineages of land plants at scales ranging from local to global. We are interested in characterizing the biotic and abiotic factors shaping the assembly of plant-associated fungal communities, how community structure and diversity impacts ecosystem function, and the evolutionary dynamics of fungal symbiont evolution in the context of closely related pathogens and saprotrophs.

Our research efforts focus on bacteria that cause serious healthcare-associated infections, and those associated with antibiotic use. This infections disproportiOur federally-funded research focuses on infection prevention. Specifically, we study diseases such as Clostridium difficile Infection that affect populations worldwide ("One-Health" issue). Our current efforts are aimed at translating bench-research findings to the bedside. We have recently been awarded two patents for a novel biologic agent invention aimed at preventing bacterial infections in humans as well as food animals.onately affect the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. One overarching goal of our studies is to develop safe, cost-effective, non-antibiotic interventions to prevent and treat bacterial diarrheas.

Dr. Verhougstraete is an integrated health related microbiologist. He examines the source, transport, and occurrence of pathogens in the environment, measures human exposures to pathogens, and defines associated risks to mitigate adverse health outcomes. His research includes assessment of microorganisms in irrigation canals, beaches, estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater wells, household drinking water systems, and healthcare environments. His research has highlighted multiple hazards in each system, the driving factors of microbial exposures, and defining critical interventions. Marc’s most recent research has quantified microbe and metal occurrences in water distribution systems of underrepresented individuals, modeled expected outcomes, and defined appropriate water treatment interventions for the most vulnerable communities. Ultimately, Dr. Verhougstraete aims to reduce pathogen infections that exacerbate chronic diseases by combining environmental assessment, novel dose-response approaches, and risk assessment models all to inform health oriented interventions.

Around the world, diarrhea kills ninety children every hour. My laboratory uses the latest technology to understand how bacteria cause diarrhea in children. In addition to providing clues for new ways to prevent disease, our research helps us understand how the body maintains good health.

Francesca Vitali, PhD, research interests are in precision medicine, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence and big data techniques.

I conduct research at the nexus of ecotoxicology, mechanisms of toxicity, and health disparities. I study wildlife and laboratory animals as models for human exposure and disease, as well as to solve problems in conservation biology. I am especially interested in health disparities experienced by vulnerable populations and I employ a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. I integrate a variety of methods to establish routes of exposure and mechanisms of developmental disruption ranging from the genome to the whole organism and its environment.

The Wohlgemuth Lab is focused on how circuits in the brain contribute to sensory-guided adaptive behaviors. The goal is to study how an integrated bottom-up and top-down cortico-fugal network controls behavior on multiple time-scales: from the rapid reactions to arriving sensing information indicative of bottom-up processing, to the longer time-scale governance of categorical behavioral control that is directed by top-down signaling. To study these phenomena, the lab uses the model system of the echolocating bat. The bat provides a way to study how the brain evolved to perform under controlled, laboratory experimentation. To research these questions, the lab employs computer modeling of behavior, multi-channel electrophysiology to relate changes in behavior to changes in brain activity, and optogenetics to test causal hypotheses about the role of different circuit components in sensorimotor integration across time-scales. By combining computational ethology and modeling, electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and optogenetics, the Wohlgemuth Lab offers new insights into circuit-level processing for both rapid control of sensory-guided adaptive behaviors and long-term goal-planning.

We are working to uncover the molecular mechanisms of aging and neurodegenerative diseases using a combination of genetic, computational and pharmacological tools, and a diverse array of experimental models. We also seek to develop therapies for ALS and related neurodegenerative diseases.

Our research approaches apply a combination of advances in nanoscience, molecular biology and omics to a new generation of biological tools and sensors based on nano and microscale technologies for breakthrough applications in healthcare delivery.

Our lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying the fetal sex-specific dysregulation of fetal endothelial function (such as disturbed angiogenesis and responses to TNF-α) in complicated pregnancies, and the maternal obesity-associated fetal endothelial dysfunction and future health risks of the offspring. Our research utilizing multiple model systems including human placenta tissue, human cell models, and in vivo animal models.

Dr. Zhu is an expert on molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, particularly amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). His recent focus is on RNA binding proteins and RNA metabolism in these diseases. With thorough understanding of pathways regulating protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions, protein degradation and aggregation, RNA metabolism and stress granules, he is also interested in developing novel therapeutics.