The Charles Wiener Lab primarily conducts research on pulmonary circulation and hypoxia as well as respiratory muscle function in patients with neuromuscular diseases. Our recent studies have included investigating the treatment of pericardial effusions in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and examining the use of non-invasive ventilation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We also have an interest in medical education research. Our work in this area has included reviewing the role of academic medical centers in emerging health care markets.

The Charles Wiener Lab primarily conducts research on pulmonary circulation and hypoxia as well as respiratory muscle function in patients with neuromuscular diseases. Our recent studies have included investigating the treatment of pericardial effusions in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and examining the use of non-invasive ventilation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We also have an interest in medical education research. Our work in this area has included reviewing the role of academic medical centers in emerging health care markets.

VISION: To make MRI more equitable and inclusive

MISSION: To develop and deploy MRI tools and methods to enable accessible imaging of underserved populations

The main focus of Dr. Gilotra's research is understanding the pathophysiology and outcomes in inflammatory cardiomyopathies including myocarditis and sarcoidosis, as well as improvement of heart failure patient care through noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring and studying novel strategies to reduce heart failure hospitalizations. Additional investigations involve clinical research in advanced heart failure therapies including heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. Dr. Gilotra is the site Principal Investigator for the NIH/NHLBI funded Heart Failure Network trials.

The long-term objectives of our research team are: a. to understand the molecular etiology in the development of human cancer, and b. to identify and characterize cancer molecules for cancer detection, diagnosis, and therapy. We use ovarian carcinoma as a disease model because it is one of the most aggressive neoplastic diseases in women. For the first research direction, we aim to identify and characterize the molecular alterations during initiation and progression of ovarian carcinomas.

Research conducted in the Gary Wand Lab focuses on neuropsychoendocrinology; the neurobiology of substance abuse; physiogenetics and regulation of the stress response; and the relationship between stress and chemical dependency. Current studies seek to better understand the genetic determinants of the stress response and how excessive stress hormone production contributes to neurobiological disorders, including addiction.

Research in the Gail Daumit Lab is devoted to improving overall health and decreasing premature mortality for people with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. We have conducted observational studies to determine and convey the burden of physical health problems in this vulnerable population, and are currently leading a randomized trial funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to test a comprehensive cardiovascular risk reduction program in people with serious mental illness.

The Greider lab uses biochemistry to study telomerase and cellular and organismal consequences of telomere dysfunction. Telomeres protect chromosome ends from being recognized as DNA damage and chromosomal rearrangements. Conventional replication leads to telomere shortening, but telomere length is maintained by the enzyme telomerase. Telomerase is required for cells that undergo many rounds of divisions, especially tumor cells and some stem cells. The lab has generated telomerase null mice that are viable and show progressive telomere shortening for up to six generations. In the later generations, when telomeres are short, cells die via apoptosis or senescence. Crosses of these telomerase null mice to other tumor prone mice show that tumor formation can be greatly reduced by short telomeres. The lab also is using the telomerase null mice to explore the essential role of telomerase stem cell viability. Telomerase mutations cause autosomal dominant dyskeratosis congenita. People with this disease die of bone marrow failure, likely due to stem cell loss. The lab has developed a mouse model to study this disease. Future work in the lab will focus on identifying genes that induce DNA damage in response to short telomeres, identifying how telomeres are processed and how telomere elongation is regulated.

Johns Hopkins is a member of the Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Cervical Cancer. With a $11.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, we are conducting lab, translational and clinical studies to prevent and treat cervical cancers. Previous studies have identified connections between immune system genes and HPV16. Current projects include the development of next-generation HPV vaccines to control HPV-associated precursor lesions and invasive cancer. Our dedicated researchers are working to extend the techniques used in HPV vaccine development to the creation of vaccines targeting other cancers with defined tumor antigens.

The Bradford Winters Lab conducts research on patient safety and quality of care. Our team focuses on the topics of patient care in the intensive care unit, evidence-based medicine, quality health care, and the measurement and evaluation of safety efforts. Currently our work involves evaluating pain management techniques in post-craniotomy patients, developing guidelines for policy development of patient safety initiatives and creating measures for rapid-response system outcomes.