Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
The Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Subprogram (MCD) encompasses approximately 60 laboratories across eight CUNY campuses using a wide variety of model organisms from microbes and invertebrates to mammals and plants. It features faculty working at the cutting edge of cancer mechanisms, biotechnology, signal transduction, gene regulation, genome integrity, cell structure, intracellular trafficking and development/dysfunction of the immune and nervous systems, among others. MCD graduates have completed their Ph.D. degree with strong records of productivity making them highly competitive for postdoctoral positions and fellowships. In addition, many MCD alumni now hold academic faculty posts and leadership positions in the biotechnology industry.
Jill Bargonetti-Chavarria
Professor
Hunter College, North Building
Room 7301.08
| Alvarado, Sebastián - How epigenetic mechanisms shape neuronal substrates and how they relate to evolution |
| Arsov, Ivica - The role of mitochondrial phospholipids in t-cells apoptosis and development |
| Beeler , Jeff - Information processing and plasticity in basal ganglia circuitry and its contribution to motivational plasticity, behavioral flexibility and neuropsychiatric disorders (PD, obesity, addiction, depression) |
| Bratu, Diana P. - Fluorescence microscopy, nanoprobes, dynamic processes of nucleic acids, post-transcriptional control of gene expression with implications in disease |
| Casaccia, Patrizia - Epigenetic regulation of oligodendroglia in development and disease/ Environmental control of brain health and disease, Gut-brain communication/ Multiple Sclerosis/ Glial Tumors |
| Cheng, Hai-Ping - Bacterial molecular mechanism for sensing host and environmental stimuli |
| Contel, Maria - Synthesis and characterization of transition-metal complexes and their medicinal and catalytic applications. |
| Cortes, Patricia - Maintenance of Genome Stability, DNA repair, and V(D)J recombination |
| Dennehy, John J. - Viruses, bacteriophages, gene expression control, cellular event timing, mathematical modeling, virus molecular biology, virus evolution and ecology, systems biology |
| Dobi , Krista C. - Drosophila Muscle; muscle specification and development; transcriptional regulation of muscle properties; muscle wasting and disease |
| Elbaum-Garfinfle, Shana - Protein/RNA Granules; Intracellular liquid organelles; protein assembly & aggregation; aging & protein homeostasis; neurophysiology and degeneration; c.elegans genetics; single molecule fluorescence. |
| Emerson, Mark M. - Cone photoreceptor development; Cis-regulatory elements in neuronal development and transcriptional specificity. |
| Emtage, Lesley - Molecular neurobiology, Protein unfolding and aggregation, Protein degradation pathways, Neurodegeneration |
| Fata, Jimmie E. - Molecular mechanisms underlying mammary gland biology and breast cancer |
| Gaffney, Jean - Identification and characterization of novel fluorescent proteins from marine organisms. |
| Gallego-Delgado, Julio - Malaria, Blood Brain Barrier, Acute Kidney Injury, Translational Medicine, Renin Angiotensin System, Wnt/β-catenin/Tcf pathway |
| Gardner, Kevin - Structural biology, optogenetics, protein, protein interactions |
| Glickman Holtzman, Nathalia - Dr. Holtzman’s interests includes cardiovascular development and the impact of environmental toxins on embryonic development, as well as educational research includes cardiovascular development and the impact of environmental toxins on embryonic development, as well as educational research. |
| Goldfarb, Mitchell - Sodium channel structure/function/modulation, synaptic transmission, epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, somatosensation, spatial memory, Epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, pain |
| Gottlieb, Paul - Assembly mechanisms of double stranded RNA containing viruses |
| Govind, Shubha - Signal transduction in development and immunity, inflammation, cancer, host parasite interactions, mechanisms of immune suppression |
| Goyert, Sanna M. - Understanding the host’s innate immune response to bacterial infection and the genes/proteins that regulate specific responses |
| Greenbaum, Nancy - Structural biology of noncoding RNA; development of RNA-based bioimaging probes |
| Keedy, Daniel - Structural Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Computational Biology, & X-ray crystallography |
| Khayat , Reza - Pathogen host interaction, X-ray crystallography, Cryo-electron microscopy, Biochemistry |
| Kim, Junghoon - Prognostic MRI biomarkers of neurodegeneration and cognitive decline after traumatic brain injury. Mechanisms of neuromodulation in traumatic brain injury. |
| Kleiman, Frida - Coordinated response to DNA damage by transcription, RNA processing and DNA repair factors, and their contribution to the risk of getting breast cancer |
| Kottmann, Andreas H. - Understanding the regulation of structural plasticity in the adult brain during motor learning and memory; neurogenesis; molecular etiology of progressive neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s Disease and ALS. |
| Krampis, Konstantinos - Bioinformatics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning applications in Genomics, Computational Biology, Discrete Systems modeling for Genomic Regulation, Visualizations of Large-Scale Genomic Data, Metagomics, Cancer Genomics |
| Kreitzer, Geri - The roles played by the cytoskeleton in establishment and maintenance of cell polarity |
| Kurtzmn, Tom - Biomolecular recognition and using this understanding to discover and design new pharmaceutical compounds |
| Li, Christine - Understanding how different chemicals in the nervous system affect behavior. Using genetic model systems to understand neurodegenerative diseases |
| Lipke, Peter N. - Role of functional amyloids in cell adhesion; cell surface architecture in yeast |
| Mallikaratchy, Prabodhika - Nucleic Acid Aptamers, In vitro evolution of artificial nucleic acid ligands, Therapeutic drug delivery, Cancer, Biochemical investigations of ligand receptor interactions. |
| Mano, Itzhak - Neuronal cell death that occurs when the brain is flooded with too much of the neurotransmitter glutamate |
| Mujtaba, Shiraz - Define Epigenetic Mechanisms Directing the Progression of Castrate-resistant Prostate Cancer to Identify Molecular Targets for New Developing Therapeutic Modalities |
| Myat, Monn Monn - Collective cell migration in organ development and angiogenesis |
| Nicoll, Steven - Understanding the effects of biomaterial substrates and enviromental stimuli on progenitor cell differentiation toward specialized connective tissue cell lineages. |
| Peixoto, Pablo - mitochondrial biogenesis and functional interactions in normal and diseased cells. More specifically, my laboratory applies biochemistry, electrophysiology, and live cell imaging approaches to study exchange of mitochondria signals and mitochondrial dynamics in yeast and mammalian cells |
| Phillips, Greg - Cell-cell interactions in synaptic development and neurodevelopmental disorders |
| Quadri, Luis E. N. - Genetics and biochemistry of cell-wall component and secondary metabolite biosynthesis in clinically-relevant mycobacteria |
| Raper, Jayne - Host pathogen interactions: parasites and bacteria |
| Rotenberg, Susan A. - Biochemistry and cell biology of the motility signaling pathway in human cancer cells |
| Rudenko , Andrey - Genetic/Epigenetic, Molecular, and Cellular Mechanisms of normal memory function, dysfunction in neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders in Alzheimer’s disease and PTSD |
| Rumschitzki, David S. - Early events in atherogenesis: the transport of water and macromolecules into and macromolecular accumulation in the walls of large vessels, including the role played by membrane proteins. |
| Saleque, Shireen - Genetic and epigenetic processes regulating hematopoietic stem and progenitor programs and function |
| Sankaran, Renuka P. - Whole plant mineral nutrition and homeostasis, interaction of metal contaminants such as CD with mineral nutrients in terms of ion transport, and transfer of these minerals through the food chain. |
| Sauane, Moira - Study the molecular biology of anti-cancer genes that with the goal of improving outcomes of therapeutic strategies for cancer and discovering new therapeutic strategies that can complement with existing ones |
| Savage-Dunn, Cathy - BMP Signaling, Genetics, Development, Body Size, Lipids, Innate Immunity |
| Saxena, Anjana D. - Nucleolar stress factors, cell cycle regulators, tumor suppressor pathways, ribosome biogenesis, RNA metabolism |
| Schvarzstein, Mara - Molecular, Cellular and genetics study of chromosome and centrosome inheritance during meiosis and the early embryonic divisions in C. elegans. |
| Shen, Chang-Hui - Mechanism of transcriptional activation Regulation of pH and copper homeostasis Control of phospholipid biosynthesis |
| Tajerian, Maral - Brain plasticity, with particular emphasis on the extracellular matrix regulation of neuronal and glial alterations in preclinical models and human tissues. |
| Torrente, Mariana P. - investigating the molecular mechanisms underpinning neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease, with an emphasis in epigenetics and protein folding |
| Torres, Gonzalo - Role of G Proteins In Dopamine Transporter, Protein Complexes In Dopamine Terminal, Regulation of DAT By Interacting Proteins, Structure-function Analysis Of Atp-gated Ion |
| Vuong, Bao Q. - Molecular mechanisms that regulate immunoglobulin gene diversification and genome stability |
| Weinstein, Daniel C. - Signaling mechanisms underlying germ layer formation and suppression in the early vertebrate embryo |
| Wolfe, Andrew - Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology, Oncogenes & Therapeutics |
| Wurtzel, Eleanore T. - Molecular and structural biology studies on plant biochemical pathways to provide knowledge and tools for developing sustainable solutions to worldwide vitamin A deficiency and malnutrition and meeting the challenges of global food security in the face of climate change |
| Xie, Lei - Multi-scale modeling and simulation of genotype-phenotype associations and drug actions, polypharmacology and structure-based drug design |
| Zhong, Hualin - Molecular and cell biology/study the mechanisms of nuclear transport |
Faculty
Professor Jill Bargonetti—Chair
Hunter College
bargonetti@genectr.hunter.cuny.edu
Professor Chris Li
City College of New York
cli@ccny.cuny.edu
Professor John Dennehy
Queens College
john.dennehy@qc.cuny.edu
Professor Luis Quadri
Brooklyn College
Lquadri@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Professor Bao Vuong
City College of New York
bvuong@ccny.cuny.edu
Professor Hualin Zhong
Hunter College
zhong@genectr.hunter.cuny.edu
Professor Patrizia Cassaccia (Alternate)
The Advanced Science Research Center
patrizia.casaccia@asrc.cuny.edu
Professor Itzhak Mano (Alternate)
CUNY School of Medicine
imano@ccny.cuny.edu
Students
Matthew Cleere—Student Representative to Executive Committee
City College of New York
Sara Fresard
Hunter College
Katherine Anderson
City College of New York