The Richard Rivers Lab researches vascular communication with a focus on microcirculation physiology. Our team seeks to determine how metabolic demands are passed between tissue and the vascular network as well as along the vascular network itself. Our goal is to better understand processes of diseases such as cancer and diabetes, which could lead to the development of more targeted drugs and treatment. We are also working to determine the role for inwardly rectifying potassium channels (Kir) 2.1 and 6.1 in signaling along the vessel wall as well as the role of gap junctions.

Research in the Robert Siliciano Laboratory focuses on HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART consists of combinations of three drugs that inhibit specific steps in the virus life cycle. Though linked to reduced morbidity and mortality rates, ART is not curative. Through our research related to latently infected cells, we've shown that eradicating HIV-1 infection with ART alone is impossible due to the latent reservoir for HIV-1 in resting CD4+ T cells. Our laboratory characterized the different forms of HIV-1 that persist in patients on ART. Currently, we are searching for and evaluating drugs that target the latent reservoir. We are also developing assays that can be used to monitor the elimination of this reservoir. We are also interested in the basic pharmacodynamic principles that explain how antiretroviral drugs work. We have recently discovered why certain classes of antiretroviral drugs are so effective at inhibiting viral replication. We are using this discovery along with experimental and computational approaches to develop improved therapies for HIV-1 infection and to understand and prevent drug resistance. Finally, we are studying the immunology of HIV-1 infection, and in particular, the ability of some patients to control the infection without ART.

Work in the Rachel Damico Lab explores topics within the fields of vascular biology and pulmonary medicine, with a focus on acute lung injury and apoptosis in lung diseases. Our studies have included examining idiopathic and scleroderma-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension, vascular receptor autoantibodies, and the link between inflammation and the Warburg phenomenon in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. We have also researched the inhibitory factor of macrophage migration and its governing of endothelial cell sensitivity to LPS-induced apoptosis.

Research in the Raymond Koehler Lab explores cerebrovascular physiology and cerebral ischemic injury caused by stroke and cardiac arrest, using protein analysis, immunohistochemistry and histology. We also study ischemic preconditioning, neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and the mechanisms of abnormal cerebrovascular reactivity after ischemia. We 're examining ways to improve tissue oxygenation and seek to better understand the mechanisms that connect an increase in cerebral blood flow to neuronal activity.

Research in the Redonda Miller Lab is focused on women’s health, including osteoporosis and menopause, and medical education. We're also interested in physician practice issues.

Reid Thompson’s research interests include evaluation of ventricular function in patients with muscular dystrophy and Barth syndrome, and in patients who have completed chemotherapy. He also studies novel methods of teaching and diagnosing heart disease through cardiac auscultation.

Research in the Retrovirus Laboratory focuses on the molecular virology and pathogenesis of lentivirus infections. In particular, we study the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) to determine the molecular basis for the development of HIV CNS, pulmonary and cardiac disease. Research projects include studies of viral molecular genetics and host cell genes and proteins involved in the pathogenesis of disease. We are also interested in studies of lentivirus replication in macrophages and astrocytes and their role in the development of disease. These studies have led us to identify the viral genes that are important in neurovirulence of SIV and the development of CNS disease including NEF and the TM portion of ENV. The mechanisms of the action of these proteins in the CNS are complex and are under investigation. We have also developed a rapid, consistent SIV/macaque model in which we can test the ability of various antiviral and neuroprotective agents to reduce the severity of CNS and pulmonary disease.

The Richard J. Jones Lab studies normal and cancerous stem cells in order to make clinical improvements in areas such as blood and marrow transplantation (BMT). We discovered one of the most common stem-cell markers, Aldefluor, which identifies cells based on their expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1), and have used this marker to detect and characterize normal stem cells and cancer stem cells from many hematologic malignancies. We also developed post-transplant cyclophosphamide and effective related haploidentical BMT.

Dr. Yegnasubramanian directs a Laboratory of Cancer Molecular Genetics and Epigenetics at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC), and is also the Director of the SKCCC Next Generation Sequencing Center. Our lab research is focused on understanding the complex interplay between genetic and epigenetic alterations in carcinogenesis and disease progression, and to exploit this understanding in developing novel biomarkers for diagnosis and risk stratification as well as in identifying targets for therapeutic intervention.

The Gould Laboratory studies vesicles, known as exosomes and microvesicles (EMVs), that can be taken up by neighboring cells, completing a pathway of intercellular vesicle traffic. Our laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms of EMV biogenesis and uptake, and their contributions to cell polarity, cell-to-cell interactions, and intercellular signaling. We also examine the ways in which HIV and other retroviruses use the exosome biogenesis pathway for the formation of infectious virions, and the consequences of their EMV origin.