We are a theoretical physical chemistry group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We use advanced computational methods to study biological processes at multiple scales, from single protein functional dynamics and chromatin folding and stability to cell-level processes, such as stochastic signal transduction and regulation of cell motility.
The Patterson laboratory has 4 major focuses, each of which is funded by at least one major grant. Our longest ongoing project focuses on blood vessel growth and development, and in particular how bone morphogenetic protein signaling regulates vascular development. A second ongoing project in the laboratory is to understand at a fundamental level the cellular response to proteotoxic stress. The third major focus of our laboratory studies cardiac-specific ubiquitin ligases that regulate cardiac hypertrophy and metabolism. Finally, we have begun a human translational study that takes advantage of our expertise in genomics, proteomics, and genetics to develop an integrated DNA/RNA/protein profile database of patients with heart disease.
My research focuses on plant community ecology and such related fields as plant geography, conservation biology, ecoinformatics and plant population ecology. I am particularly interested in how plant communities are assembled and vary across landscapes. Toward this end I am helping define the emerging discipline of ecoinformatics through development of international databases and standards for large-scale data integration and exchange. My current research on the vegetation of the Southeastern United States includes on-going studies of the long-term dynamics of Southeastern forests, human impacts on floodplain ecosystems, targets for restoration, and more generally factors influencing the composition and species diversity of terrestrial plant communities across a range of spatial scales.
Cell adhesion, signal transduction, and cytoskeletal regulation during embryogenesis and in cancer. We focus on the regulation of cadherin-based cell-cell adhesion, and on Wnt signaling and its regulation by the tumor suppressor APC.
We study the cells, the chemical mediators and the functional organization of peripheral and spinal systems associated with normal and pathological pain, itch, and temperature sense using electrophysiological, molecular and histochemical techniques.
Human carcinomas show great diversity in their morphologies, clinical histories and in their responsiveness to therapy. This wide tumor diversity poses the main challenge to the effective treatment of cancer patients. The main focus of the Perou Lab is to characterize the biology diversity of human tumors using microarray analysis, genomics, molecular genetics, and cell biology, and then to mimic these findings in animal models. We ultimately use these animal systems to develop predictive computational models and to test new therapeutics that are specific for each tumor subtype.
The main focus of our research is to examine the molecular and cellular mechanisms that are involved in conferring neural identity to stem cells during embryogenesis and the adult.
Our sensory experiences leave indelible marks on the brain, and the Philpot Lab seeks to understand how this occurs at the level of the synapse. Our research examines the experience-dependent mechanisms that allow functional cortical circuits to emerge and for memories to be stored. We use electrophysiology, biochemistry, and genetic manipulations to study fundamental mechanisms of synaptic plasticity relevant to disease models and other neuropathologies (e.g. amblyopia, mental retardation, and schizophrenia). Through our studies in the visual cortex and hippocampus, we aim to provide insights into preventing common neuropathologies and to discover mechanisms for promoting neural regeneration in the mature brain.
My laboratory, located in the Cystic Fibrosis/Pulmonary Research and Treatment Center in the Thurston-Bowles building at UNC, is interested in how respiratory viruses infect the airway epithelium of the conducting airways of the human lung.
My graduate students and I use the formalism of equilibrium thermodynamics and the tools of molecular biology and biophysics to understand how nature designs proteins.
Dr. Piven’s research focus is on the pathogenesis of autism including neural mechanisms, genetic basis and neuropsychological and behavioral phenotype.
Using a combination of in vivo and in vitro approaches, our lab studies the extracellular cues and intracellular signaling pathways regulating neuronal migration, axon guidance and dendritic differentiation during early aspects of brain development.
Dr. Pomp studies the genetic architecture of complex traits, with an emphasis on body weight regulation and obesity. Using polygenic mouse models and high throughput approaches integrating genomics and physiology, he identifies genes that control predisposition to a variety of complex traits including energy intake and energy expenditure (e.g. voluntary exercise). In addition, Dr. Pomp studies how these genes interact with each other, with changing environments such as nutritional interventions, and with other diseases such as cancer.
Dr. Preston's research interests address fundamental genetic and biochemical questions related to autoimmune diseases that affect the kidney. A recent discovery by Dr. Preston and coworkers led to the formulation of a novel theory that delineates potential "triggers" that lead to autoantibody production (Nature Medicine 10: 72-79, 2004). Dr. Preston works closely with the research team within the UNC Kidney Center,including the Director of the Center, Ronald Falk, MD. and the Clinical Core, which obtains biologic samples
from patients for research purposes. These interactions provide the perfect setting for a truly Translational Research Program within the UNC Kidney Center
High-performance computing: algorithms, programming languages, compilers and architectures. Scientific computing with focus on computational biology and bioinformatics. High-level programming languages and problem solving environments.
Areas of research include: network and combinatorial reliability, Steiner tree and other network design problems, polyhedral combinatorics, combinatorial listing and enumeration algorithms, and other network and combinatorial optimization problems.
The long term goal of our research is to understand mechanisms underlying homologous chromosome pairing and
genetic recombination during meiosis. We have developed the
basidiomycete fungus Coprinus cinereus as a model system for analysis of meiosis. We are currently utilizing transcriptional profiling of the recently annotated genome to analyze the genetic controls of chromosome pairing. We have also constructed a high-resolution genetic map of the
13 sequenced chromosomes to examine chromosomal sites that act autonomously to initiate synapsis.
