Faculty

Iannis E. Adamopoulos
Degree Held: MPhil., DPhil
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Address: 2425 Stockton Blvd., Shriners Hospital, Room 653A
Phone: (916) 453-2237
E-mail: iannis@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.iprmd.org/?q=node/49
http://www.adamopouloslab.com
Research interests: Novel treatments and therapeutic strategies for inflammatory arthritis and immune bone loss. Our laboratory studies the interface between the skeletal and immune systems, a newly emerging area of research called "osteoimmunology".

 

Paul Ashwood
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Associate Professor
Department: Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Address:
Phone: (916) 703-0405
E-mail: pashwood@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medmicro/staff/ashwood.html
Research interests: Evaluating the immune response in children with autism and to examine the interface between the immune system and the central nervous system.

 

Nicole Baumgarth
Degree Held: D.V.M., Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: VM: PMI; and Center for Comparative Medicine
Address: Center for Comparative Medicine, Room 1004
Phone: (530) 754-5813
E-mail: nbaumgarth@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://ccm.ucdavis.edu/baumgarthlab/index.html
Research interests: Regulation of immune responses to pathogens with emphasis on influenza virus infection and in collaboration with Steve Barthold studies on the regulation of immunity to infection with Borrelia burgdorferi; mucosal immunology; respiratory tract immunology; molecular regulation of early B cell activation; and function and development of B-1 cells.

 

Andreas J. Baumler
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor & Vice Chair
Department: MED: Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Address: 451 East Health Science Drive, GBSF, Room 5513
Phone: (530) 754-7225
E-mail: ajbaumler@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medmicro/staff/baumler.html
Research interests: Pathogenesis and host response to Salmonella infections.

 

Charles L. Bevins
Degree Held: M.D., Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: MED: Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Address: 451 East Health Science Drive, GBSF, Room 5617
Phone: (530) 754-6889
E-mail: clbevins@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://biosci3.ucdavis.edu/FacultyAndResearch/FacultyProfile.aspx?FacultyID=14231
Research interests: Innate immune responses; mucosal immunology; antimicrobial peptides.

 

Christopher L. Bowlus
Degree Held: M.D.
Title: Associate Professor
Department: MED: Gastroenterology
Address: 451 East Health Science Drive, GBSF, Room 6319
Phone: (530) 752-6128
E-mail: clbowlus@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: Function of the thymic protease Prss16 in T cell development and susceptibility to autoimmunity. Clinical and translational studies of autoimmune disorders of the liver including Primary Biliary Cirrhosis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

 

Kiho Cho
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Associate Adjunct Professor
Department: MED: Surgery
Address: Shriner's Hospital, 2425 Stockton Blvd. Sacramento, CA 96817
Phone: (916) 453-2284
E-mail: kcho@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/surgery/specialties/burn/kiho.html
Research interests: Primarily focusing on the roles of murine endogenous retroviruses (MuERVs) in the post-burn systemic immune disorder and multiple organ failure using a murine model.

 

Satya Dandekar
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor and Chair
Department: MED: Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Address: 451 East Health Sciences Drive, GBSF, Room 5511
Phone: (530) 752-3409 or (530) 752-3542
E-mail: sdandekar@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medmicro/staff/dandekar.html
Research interests: Mucosal immunity against pathogens.
Molecular Pathogenesis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and
Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) Infections with Special Emphasis on
Gastrointestinal Mucosal Lymphoid Tissue (GALT) as a Major Target Organ of the Viral Infection, and as a Viral Reservoir.
Repair and renewal of gut mucosal immune system during therapy.

 

Laurel J. Gershwin
Degree Held: D.V.M., Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Address: 3327 VetMed 3A
Phone: (530) 752-6643
E-mail: ljgershwin@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/ljgershwin/
Research interests: Mechanisms of immune modulation in bovine respiratory syncytial virus infection, with particular emphasis on IgE, and in response to vaccines. Polymicrobial disease pathogenesis in the bovine lung. Effects of second-hand smoke on development of allergic lung disease/asthma using a mouse model. Vaccine hypersensitivity responses in the horse. Genetic correlates of allergic disease /IgE production in several animal species.

 

Tzipora Goldkorn
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: MED: Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Address: 451 East Health Science Drive, GBSF, 6th Floor
Phone: (530) 752-2988
E-mail: ttgoldkorn@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/pulmonary/pulmonary/goldkorn.htm
Research interests: Mechanisms of apoptosis and hyperplasia in the lung, as these two processes play a critical role in lung cancer. Research centers both on the mechanisms of cell growth and proliferation in airway epithelial cells and on the ceramide-generating machinery that drives aberrant apoptosis control. Function of EGF receptor and nSMase2 in cigarette smoke and oxidative stress induced lung injury.

 

Leigh G. Griffiths
Degree Held: VetMB, MRCVS, PhD
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: VME: Veterinary Medicine and Epidemiology
Address: 2103 Tupper Hall
Phone: (530) 754-0334
E-mail: lggriffiths@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/lggriffiths/
Research interests: Immunoproteomic identification, epitope mapping and in-silico modeling of xenoantigens. Investigation of antigen removal strategies in production of xenogeneic scaffolds for cardiovascular tissue engineering applications.

 

Richart W. Harper
Degree Held: M.D.
Title: Associate Professor
Department: Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine
Address: PSSB/UCDMC - Sacramento, CA 95817
Phone: (916) 734 3564
E-mail: rwharper@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: Congenital or acquired lung diseases such as asthma, tuberculosis, primary pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease and lung cancer. Research includes the study of oxidative stress in airway epithelial cells and the molecular basis mechanisms of lung cancer development, specifically examining signal transduction pathways in response to cigarette smoke. Special interest in interstitial lung diseases, including sarcoidosis.

 

James E.K. Hildreth
Degree Held: M.D., Ph.D.
Title: Professor and Dean
Department: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Address: LS 207
Phone: (530) 752-4460
E-mail: jekhildreth@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: My laboratory research is focused on understanding mechanisms by which HIV subverts host pathways and molecules during its replication cycle.  We are particularly interested in the role of cholesterol and cholesterol homeostatic pathways in virus entry, virus release and viral gene transcription.  The involvement of cholesterol-rich lipid rafts, late endosomes and exosomes is also the subject of investigations in our laboratory.   Another major area of interest is the impact of viral co-infections on HIV’s tropism and replication.  Many viruses are known to modulate cholesterol regulatory pathways and cellular cholesterol content and thereby can profoundly affect HIV replication.  We are interested in this and other mechanisms of enhancement or suppression of HIV transmission and replication by co-infecting viruses.


Daniel Hwang
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Adjunct Professor
Department: Department of Nutrition; USDA Western Human Nutrition Research Center
Address: 430 Health Sciences Drive
Phone: (530) 754-4838
E-mail: dhwang@whnrc.usda.gov
Web site: http://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/faculty/hwang.html
Research interests: The goal of our research is to elucidate molecular mechanisms by which different types of dietary fatty acids and phytochemicals modulate pattern recognition receptor-mediated signaling pathways, target gene expression, and subsequent cellular responses, and to determine how this modulation is related to risks of development and progression of chronic diseases (see recent publications in PubMed).

 

Kirk C. Klasing
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: Department of Animal Science
Address: 2131B Meyer Hall
Phone: (530) 752-1901
E-mail: kcklasing@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/faculty/Klasing/
Research interests: Physiological ecology: Developmental, nutritional, and pathological costs of an immune response to pathogens; Nutrition and immunity: Effects of immune responses on metabolism and nutrient requirements. Avian immunology: Regulation of the avian inflammatory response.

 

Kit S. Lam
Degree Held: M.D., Ph.D.
Title: Professor and Chief
Department: MED: Hematology and Oncology
Address: UC Davis Cancer Center, 4501 X Street, Sacramento, CA 95817
Phone: (916) 734-8012
E-mail: kit.lam@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: Application of combinatorial library methods for basic research and drug discovery, protein tyrosine kinases -- biochemistry and drug development, peptide targeted-therapy for cancer, antibiotics development for vancomycin-resistant infections, peptide immunology, proteomics, peptide chemistry and biology, and synthetic peptide and small-molecule combinatorial chemistry.

 

Pam Lein
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: VM: Molecular Biosciences
Address: One Shields Ave., 1120 Haring Hall
Phone: (530) 752-1970
E-mail: pjlein@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: The role of inflammatory cells and cytokines in mediating the adverse effects of neurotoxic agents on the developing brain and altering nerve function in asthma.

 

Patrick S. Leung
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Associate Adjunct Professor
Department: MED: Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Address: 451 East Health Science Drive, GBSF, Room 6510
Phone: (530) 754-4943
E-mail: psleung@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/internalmedicine/rheumatology/immunolab_goals.html
Research interests: Molecular basis of autoimmune diseases. Expression of autoantigens and epitope analysis of autoantigens. Molecular immuology of food allergens.

 

Shirley Luckhart
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: MED: Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Address: 3437 Tupper Hall
Phone: (530) 754-6963
E-mail: sluckhart@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medmicro/staff/luckhart.html
Research interests: General areas of research in the laboratory include: the molecular cell biology and biochemistry of malaria parasite transmission, the functional characterization of the immunological crosstalk and cell signaling that occurs between the mosquito and the mammalian host during bloodfeeding, and the impact of endemic co-infections on malaria parasite development and transmission. Specific research projects include: the conserved signal transduction pathways involved in anti-parasite host innate immunity; systems biology and function of immune factors and cell signaling pathways that are activated between mosquitoes and their mammalian hosts at the interface of bloodfeeding; identification and functional analyses of naturally occurring genetic polymorphisms associated with malaria parasite infection; mechanistic studies of enhanced pathology of HIV and non-typhoidal Salmonella co-infection with malaria.

 

Emanual Maverakis
Degree Held: M.D.
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: MED: Department of Dermatology
Address:
Phone:
E-mail: emaverakis@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: Emanual Maverakis, M.D. directs a UC Davis clinic that specializes in the treatment of patients with severe immune-mediated diseases involving the skin. Paralleling his clinical interest, his lab is focused on characterizing  autoreactive T cell repertoires in humans with autoimmunity.  His group tracks the autoreactive immune response over time to see how the T cell repertoire evolves in patients with autoimmunity.  Cancer immunotherapy is another focus of Dr. Maverakis’ lab.  Ongoing research projects are focused on boosting tumor-specific immune responses in an attempt to increase patient survival.  Dr. Maverakis is conducting clinical trials of novel therapeutic regimens for cancer and autoimmunity. 

 

Stephen J. McSorley
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Associate Professor
Department: VM: APC and Center for Comparative Medicine
Address: Center for Comparative Medicine, Room 2007, County Rd 98 at Hutchison Drive
Phone: (530) 752-3414
E-mail: sjmcsorley@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://ccm.ucdavis.edu/mcsorleylab/index.html
Research interests: Mucosal T cell responses, immunity to Salmonella and Chlamydia infection, Innate immune response to bacterial flagellins, identification of antigenic targets in typhoid and non-typhoidal infections.

 

Lisa A. Miller
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Associate Professor
Department: VM: Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology
Address: California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC)
Phone: (530) 754-7546 or (530) 752-6066
E-mail: lmiller@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/lmiller/
Research interests: Mucosal and developmental immunology, primarily within the lung. Leukocyte-epithelial cell interactions. Chemokine-mediated mechanisms of leukocyte trafficking within the pulmonary immune system in response to allergens and air pollutants.

 

William J. Murphy
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: Department of Dermatology
Address: Research III #3300A, Sacramento, CA 95817
Phone: (916) 703-5662
E-mail: wmjmurphy@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: Use of immunotherapy in cancer, particularly in the context of bone marrow transplantation and using models of metastatic disease. How the immune system normally suppresses itself and how the tumor further suppresses attempts by the immune system to attack it.

 

Lorena Navarro
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Microbiology
Address: 255 Briggs Hall
Phone: (916) 752-0260
E-mail: lonavarro@ucdavis.edu
Web site:

http://biosci2.ucdavis.edu/BioSci/FacultyAndResearch/DisplayFacultyProfile.cfm?ResearcherID=2337
Research interests: Our laboratory studies the virulence mechanisms used by pathogenic bacteria to circumvent the host innate immune response, with a specific emphasis on elucidating the biochemical and cellular function of bacterial effector proteins.  We are using the Gram-negative bacteria Yersinia as a model system for studying the molecular events occurring at the host-pathogen interface.

 

Robert T. O'Donnell
Degree Held: M.D., Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: MED:Hematology and Oncology, UC Davis Cancer Center
Address: 4501 X Street, Room 3016, Sacramento, CA 95817
Phone: (916) 734-3735
E-mail: rtodonnell@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: Radioimmuotherapy using radionuclide-labelled, cancer-specific monoclonal antibodies for treatment of patients with metastatic breast or prostate cancer, and lymphoma. Use of nude mouse models to explore synergy between this radioimmunotherapy and other drugs. Molecular, genetic changes caused by therapy and their effects on apoptosis. Molecular engineering of new antibody fragments capable of targeting malignant cells.

 

John Peters
Degree Held: M.D.
Title: Associate Professor-in-Residence
Department: Internal Medicine, General Medicine/Geriatric Medicine, Center for Aging
Address: Room 2354, Oak Park Bldg, UC Davis Medical Center, 2700 Stockton Blvd Sacramento, CA 59817
Phone: (916) 703-5079
E-mail: john.peters@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: Generally, to define functional roles for extracellular matrix proteins, with emphasis on the fibronectin family of alternatively spliced proteins, in processes of tissue injury, inflammation and healing. Specifically, to define pathogenetic roles of ECM proteins in osteoarthritis and other chronic inflammatory disorders of aging.

 

Kent E. Pinkerton
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor and Director
Department: VM:Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology
Address: Center for Health and the Environment, Room 103
Phone: (530) 752-8334 (office) or (530) 752-5231 (lab)
E-mail: kepinkerton@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/kepinkerton/
Research interests: Immunotoxicology of the respiratory system. The effects of environmental air pollutants (gases, vapors, and particles) on lung inflammation and disease. The role of cytokines and growth factors in lung maturation and development.

 

David Pleasure
Degree Held: M.D.
Title: Professor
Department: Neurology and Pediatrics
Address: Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Research, UC Davis School of Medicine, c/o Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California, 2425 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento CA 95817
Phone: 916-453-2331
E-mail: david.pleasure@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Web site: Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine
Research interests: multiple sclerosis, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, central nervous system innate immunity, development of the nervous system, neural stem cells


Siba Raychaudhuri
Degree Held: M.D
Title: Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: MED: Internal Medicine
Address: Rheumatology,Allergy & Clinical Immunology School of Medicine, UC Davis, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology VA Medical Center Sacramento
10535 Hospital Way
Building 807
Mather, CA 95655
Phone: (916) 326-0921
E-mail: sraychaudhuri@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: In last few years, our research focus has been to understand how Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) influences inflammatory reactions such as cell trafficking and the activation of T cells. In addition to our interest in the role of neurogenic inflammation in inflammatory diseases, we have carried out significant work on cell trafficking and drug development. Our research work involves the identification of immune mediated inflammatory cascades of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. In order to make these studies possible, we have modified and improved the currently available SCID mouse-human skin chimera model of psoriasis. We have standardized this model for developing immune-based therapies for T cell mediated autoimmune diseases. Our research goals are to dissect and understand the inflammatory cascades of autoimmune diseases, with a focus on neurogenic inflammation, and apply this knowledge to the development of better treatments for this group of chronic debilitating diseases

 

Grace L. Rosenquist
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department: DBS: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior
Address: 294A Briggs Hall
Phone: (530) 752-4973
E-mail: rosenqui@a.psc.edu
Web site: http://www.npb.ucdavis.edu/npbdirectory/rosenquist.html
Research interests: Post-translational modification of neuropeptides such as tyrosine sulfation which functions in the gut and immune systems: complement-4, immunoglobulin H chains. The prediction of tertiary structure such as packed helices from primary amino acid sequences. Confirmation of predicted structure by nuclear magnetic resonance.

 

Barbara L. Shacklett
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Associate Professor
Department: MED: Medical Microbiology & Immunology; and MED: Division of Infectious Diseases
Address: 3327 Tupper Hall
Phone: (530) 752-6785
E-mail: blshacklett@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medmicro/staff/shacklett.html
Research interests: Cell-mediated immune responses to HIV-1 and other viruses in mucosal lymphoid tissues, and trafficking of lymphoid cells to mucosal tissues and the central nervous system.

 

Scott I. Simon
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: Department of Biomedical Engineering
Address: 451 East Health Sciences Drive
Phone: (530) 752-0299
E-mail: sisimon@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.bme.ucdavis.edu/simonlab/
Research interests: Interested in blood-cell function, but specific area of interest is the behavior of one type of white blood cell, called the neutrophil. Neutrophils are in concentrations of about a billion per liter and circulate in the vasculature for only a few hours before being cleared in organs. Their goal over this interval is to surveil the circulation and peripheral tissues for bacteria and other foreign invaders and to home to sites of inflammation.

 

Jay Solnick
Degree Held: M.D., Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: Departments of Medicine and  Microbiology & Immunology
Center for Comparative Medicine
Address:  
Phone: (916) 734-3815 or ( 530) 752-1333
E-mail: jvsolnick@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: The Solnick laboratory uses the rhesus macaque and mouse models to understand the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that commonly infects the stomach where it may cause peptic ulcer disease or gastric adenocarcinoma.

 

Athena Soulika
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: UCDHS: Dermatology
Address: Shriners Hospital
Phone: (916) 453-5006
E-mail: athena.soulika@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests:  

 

Charles B. Stephensen
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Adjunct Professor
Department: USDA Western Human Nutrition Research Center
Address: 430 West Health Sciences Drive
Phone: (530) 754-9266
E-mail: charles.stephensen@ars.usda.gov
Web site: http://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/faculty/stephensen.html USDA:http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=5405.
Research interests: The role which micronutrients--particularly Vitamin A--play in immune function and resistance to infectious diseases and, conversely, in the impact of infection on nutritional status. Current work focuses on the role of vitamin A in the development of T-helper cells in mice and humans. Other projects also include the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on inflammation in human subjects with genetic variation in the ALOX5 gene, the first enzyme in leukotriene synthesis, and the impact of vitamin D on immne function.

 

Jeffrey L. Stott
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: VM: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Address: 3323 Vet Med 3A
Phone: (530) 752-2543
E-mail: jlstott@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/jlstott/
Research interests: Developmental, comparative, and clinical immunology with emphasis on bovine, equine, marine mammals, and zoo animal species. Viral and bacterial immunopathogenesis of the fetus and neonate. Immunology of the bovine mammary gland.

 

Yoshikazu Takada
Degree Held: M.D., Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: MED: Dermatology
Address: UCDMC, Research III, Suite 3300, 4645 2nd Avenue
Phone: (916) 734-7443
E-mail: ytakada@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://anagen.ucdavis.edu/dermatology/takada.htm
Research interests: Mechanism and regulation of integrin/ligand interactions. Role of integrins in growth factor signaling.

 

Suzanne S. Teuber
Degree Held: M.D.
Title: Professor
Department: MED: Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Address: 451 East Health Sciences Drive, Ste 6513
Phone: (530) 752-4257
E-mail: ssteuber@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: Molecular characterization of food allergens associated with life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. Effect of seed polyphenolics on immune response and the possible role in development of food allergy to peanuts and tree nuts. Cross-reactivity of a food allergy.

 

Jose V. Torres
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: MED: Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Address: 3134 Tupper Hall
Phone: (530) 752-3157
E-mail: jvtorres@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medmicro/staff/torres.html
http://drtorres.org
Research interests: Our laboratory is dedicated to the study of cancer. Our work includes: design, development and testing of new tumor vaccine components, study of tumors that avoid recognition and elimination by the human immune system, development of preventive and therapeutic approaches against cancer and induction of cellular and mucosal immune responses. Current interests include: tumor immunology, cancer immunotherapy, cancer-associated viruses, LTNP to AIDS and preventive and therapeutic vaccines against cancer and cancer-associated viruses.

 

Alfonso Tramontano
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Adjunct Professor
Department: MED: Nephrology
Address: Surge I, Room 1121
Phone: (530) 752-8909
E-mail: tramontano@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: Our research is concerned with mechanisms of autoimmunity as they relate to pathogenesis. We utilize various animal models to investigate autoimmune diseases, including diabetes, arthritis and glomerulonephritis. These efforts focus on the molecular determinants of innate and adaptive immunity, which include conformational epitopes and posttranslational modifications. Recominant autoantigens expressed in insect cell hosts provide useful models for molecular studies. Projects include the development of antigen-based immunotherapeutic strategies for intervention in disease pathogenesis. Molecular libraries of human antibodies in phage display are employed to investigate autoimmune renal disease and for discovery of potential therapeutic antibodies with unconventional activity.

 

Renee M. Tsolis
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Associate Professor
Department: MED: Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Address: GBSF, Room 5519
Phone: (530) 754-8497
E-mail: rmtsolis@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medmicro/staff/tsolis.html
Research interests: Host-microbe interactions mediating intracellular persistence of the bacterial pathogen Brucella.

 

Joseph M. Tuscano
Degree Held: M.D.
Title: Associate Professor
Department: MED: Hematology and Oncology
Address: UC Davis Cancer Center, 4501 X Street, Sacramento, CA 95817
Phone: (916) 734-3371
E-mail: joseph.tuscano@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://lymphomaweb.com/
Research interests: Myeloid and lymphatic signal transduction abnormalities; their role in human disease.

 

Judy Van de Water
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor in Residence
Department: MED: Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Address: GBSF, 6th Floor, Room 6512
Phone: (530) 752-2154
E-mail: javandewater@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/ourteam/faculty_staff/vandewater.html
Research interests: Immunopathology and the cellular and molecular basis of autoimmunity. Current research addresses the biological aspects of autism spectrum disorders including immune function, cellular mechanisms of immune dysregulation, and autoimmunity. Dr. van de Water also works in the area of primary biliary cirrhosis, an autoimmune liver disease.

 

Andrew T. Vaughan
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: UCDHS: Department of Radiation Oncology
Address: 4501 X Street, Ste G140, Sacramento, CA 95817
Phone:
E-mail: andrew.vaughan@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: My research interests are in the very earliest events that drive the development of leukemia.  These are likely linked to the fragmentation of chromosomes and their subsequent fusion to other sites.  It appears that a restricted region of the MLL (Mixed lineage leukemia) gene at 11q23 is routinely involved in therapy related Acute Myeloid Leukemia (tAML) and Infant Acute Leukemia (IAL).  We are trying to determine what drives such location specific aberrations with the goal of developing ways of suppressing such events.

 

Robert H. Weiss
Degree Held: M.D.
Title: Professor
Department: MED: Nephrology
Address: GBSF, Rm 6312
Phone: (530) 752-4010
E-mail: rhweiss@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: My research is focused on signal transduction and second messenger events in cellular growth and apoptosis. Specific areas of interest include: (1) the function of the cyclin and tumor suppressor proteins in vascular cells, kidney disease, and cancer; (2) metabolomic and proteomic studies of cancer biomarkers; (3) the role of the epoxyeicosanoids and their metabolites in vascular cell growth and apoptosis.

 

Reen Wu
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Professor
Department: Internal Medicine, School of Medicine; and Department of VM: Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology
Address: GBSF Suite 6523
Phone: (530) 752-2648
E-mail: rwu@ucdavis.edu
Web site:
Research interests: Roles of airway epithelial cells in lung diseases and airway mucosal immunity, embryonic stem cell biology and regenerative lung biology and medicine, epigenetic mechanism.

 

Heike Wulff
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Associate Professor
Department: MED: Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine
Address:
Phone: (530) 754-6135
E-mail: hwulff@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/pharmacology/departmentlabs/heikewulff.html
Research interests: Ion channels in the immune system.

 

Tilahun D. Yilma
Degree Held: Ph.D.,D.V.M.
Title: Director and Distinguished Professor of Virology
Department: MED: Microbiology and Immunology; VET MED: Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology
Address: 2079 Haring Hall
Phone: (530) 752-8306
E-mail: tdyilma@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/Faculty/tdyilma
Research interests: As an FAO Collaborative Laboratory, the ILMB is meeting its responsibilities of technology transfer with a very active program of biotechnology training. We train scientists from developing countries in biotechniques, help establish branch laboratories in developing countries to direct or collaborate in projects of local interest; provide technical expertise and advice upon request to FAO and to participating countries, and organize on-site workshops and seminars to improve technical skills in branch laboratories. Individuals from India, Pakistan, Brazil, Egypt, and Argentina have worked or are presently working at the ILMB on projects related to vaccine and rapid diagnostic kit development. Eleven post-doctoral fellows from Egypt have been trained and have returned to their home country. We have established a branch laboratory in Egypt that is now completely equipped and fully operational, staffed by ILMB-trained scientists, and laboratories are in development in Ethiopia and Kenya. The ILMB is also active in the University of California Systemwide Biotechnology Research and Education Program, providing resources for training highly qualified graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in vaccine development and viral pathogenesis. The latest techniques in biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, recombinant DNA, biology, pathology, cell culture and vaccine development are promoted in the ILMB. Training is focused on two areas of central importance for the development of vaccines and diagnostic reagents: (1) improvement of recombinant vaccines, and (2) use of recombinant proteins for improved diagnostic kits. Trainee research is coordinated with projects involving vaccinia virus recombinant vectors, vaccinia virus immune modulating genes, cytokines, retrovirus recombinant vectors, retrovirus proteins, ribozymen gene therapy, vaccines for human and animal diseases, and immune responses to immunogenic proteins.

 

Susan Zunino
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Associate Adjunct Professor
Department: Nutrition
Address: Western Human Nutrition Research Center, 430 West Health Sciences Drive
Phone: (530) 752-5156
E-mail: susan.zunino@ars.usda.gov
Web site: http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=34944
Research interests: My lab is interested in the regulation of genomic stability, gene transcription, and protein translation in immune cells in response to phytochemicals and their metabolites. We are particularly interested in the epigenetic regulation of genome stability in response to genotoxic and oxidative stress, and the role that phytochemical antioxidants may play in controlling these responses. Other areas of interest include anti-inflammatory activities of phytochemicals and prevention of autoimmunity.

 

Huaijun Zhou
Degree Held: Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Animal Science
Address: 2247 Meyer Hall
Phone: (530) 752-1034
E-mail: hzhou@ucdavis.edu
Web site: http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/faculty/Zhou
http://biosci3.ucdavis.edu/FacultyAndResearch/FacultyProfile.aspx?FacultyID=14441
Research interests: My group is focused on elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction including disease resistance, immune respponse, and pathogenesis of infection in poultry using high-throughput technology including next generation sequencing, microarray, proteomics etc. The overall goals are to understand genetic regulation of host response and basic mechanisms of pathogen virulence in animals, to identify host and pathogen genes that are involved in the host-pathogen interplay. The pathogens of interest are food-borne bacteria including Campylobacter, Salmonella and avian influenza virus.